After winning the three-match Test comprehensively against New Zealand, India will be looking to continue their domination over the Kiwis in the upcoming five-match ODI series which start on September 16 at Dharamsala.
But just before the first match, the Indian team management will have to sort a big issue as they need to find a suitable player to play at number 4 as Suresh Raina has been ruled out of the match due to viral fever.
In the last ODI series that India played earlier this year in Australia, Raina was not a part of the team. Raina was also left out of India’s ODI squads for the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe, and also missed the two T20Is against West Indies in the USA.
Matters deteriorated for him after a dismal show in the Asia Cup and the World T20. In the Asia Cup T20s, Raina scored 39 runs in three innings and followed that with 41 runs in four innings at the World T20. He last played an ODI for India in October 2015 but was given a chance to prove himself in the upcoming series.
On the Australia tour, India tried three different batsmen at number four – Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, and Manish Pandey. Dhoni failed to make an impact at that position with scores of 18 and 0 in two matches but Rahane made full use of the chance and scored two half-centuries in two matches.
However, the absence of regular opener Shikhar Dhawan means Rahane will have to open the innings with Rohit Sharma. That leaves the team with the option of Manish Pandey.
Well, we will not say that Pandey should be selected because of a lack of option but he truly deserves this chance. He was given just one match Down Under and he scored a brilliant century which helped the Indian team to avoid a humiliating whitewash.
Well, we will not say that Pandey should be selected because of a lack of option but he truly deserves this chance. He was given just one match Down Under and he scored a brilliant century which helped the Indian team to avoid a humiliating whitewash. Moreover, he has made his case strong with a brilliant performance for India A in the quadrangular series in Australia. The Karnataka batsman finished the tournament as its highest run scorer with 359 runs in 7 matches at an impressive average of over 59.
With Dharamsala pitch expected to assist the pacers, Raina’s absence can be blessing in disguise for the hosts. The southpaw has struggled to play on seaming pitches and Pandey’s ability to play well on bouncy pitches can work in his favor.