NEW DELHI: On the face of it, it looks like a gamble. On Saturday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the ODI series against New Zealand, which saw the return of captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer. Interestingly, both have been battling fitness issues and missed the last ODI series against South Africa at home recently. Shreyas had got injured in Australia while fielding in an ODI and sustained a spleen injury. He was under surgical treatment in an emergency in Sydney and returned to India after a major scare. After proper rest, Shreyas returned to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where his fitness and form have been assessed. There is, still, a question mark on his fitness, as he will be subjected to more fitness tests soon. The series against the Kiwis starts on January 11. Shubman Gill, the blue-eyed boy of the BCCI, has been battling fitness and form issues. On Friday, he did not play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy match as well. Since the time he hurt his neck, which was actually diagnosed as a back issue in the Test against South Africa in Kolkata, Gill has been struggling. It is bold for the BCCI to go ahead with him as skipper, more so after he was ruled out of the Indian squad for the ICC T20 World Cup, starting in February at home.
For all the wild speculation on the return of Mohd Shami, based on his performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the selectors are not impressed. Mohd Siraj finds a place back in the squad. Siraj played for India, last, during the ODIs in Australia. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested as the BCCI wants to ensure there is workload management and he is fresh for the T20 World Cup. The same logic has been applied for Hardik Pandya, who has been in good batting form in the Hazare Trophy. As he has not bowled a full 10 overs in the domestic season, he will be preserved for the World Cup, where India are the defending champions. Indeed, there was wild speculation over the wicket-keepers’ slots. KL Rahul has been preferred, as expected, but the second position in the team goes to Rishabh Pant. The chatter on social media was Pant is not in form and there were better options available. However, the selectors, in their wisdom, have stuck with Pant.