India have omitted Kuldeep Yadav, their top-ranked ICC men's ODI bowler, from the playing XI for the first ODI against England on July 14.
The marquee series, coming on the back of India's T20I whitewashes over Ireland and England, has been headlined by the returns of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who are playing together for India for the first time in nearly six months. Jasprit Bumrah, making his ODI comeback after last featuring in November 2023, is also back in the side.
Also Read: Why Jasprit Bumrah, the No.1 Test bowler, does not have an ICC ODI ranking
The top five was on expected lines, with captain Shubman Gill and Rohit opening the batting, followed by Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. The middle order, however, looks relatively light, with Shivam Dube returning to the ODI side after two years in the absence of the injured Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Axar Patel slots in at No.7 after Ravindra Jadeja was left out of the squad.
India have picked Gurnoor Brar and Prasidh Krishna as their specialist seamers alongside Bumrah, while opting for Washington Sundar as the second spinner ahead of Kuldeep.
Why did India pick Washington Sundar over Kuldeep Yadav?
Kuldeep is currently ranked seventh in the ICC men's ODI bowling rankings, the only Indian in the top 15. Since January 2024, he has been India's joint-leading wicket-taker in the format, claiming 26 wickets in 18 matches at an average of 33.73. He played only one ODI against Afghanistan in the preceding series and endured a relatively expensive outing against New Zealand earlier this year, taking three wickets in as many matches at an economy rate of 7.28.
The decision to pick Sundar ahead of him, however, appears to be driven more by batting depth than bowling returns. Sundar played all three ODIs against Afghanistan, taking one wicket, and also went wicketless in his only appearance against New Zealand this year.
With Hardik and Nitish unavailable, India's lower middle order lacks experience with the bat. Dube, who averages 10.75 in ODIs, and Axar, who averages 23.18, occupy the No.6 and No.7 positions. With none of the specialist fast bowlers regarded as reliable batters, India have opted to strengthen the batting by including Sundar.
The decision is also influenced by conditions in England, where high-scoring pitches are expected. Sundar also enjoyed a productive Test tour of England last year, scoring 284 runs in eight innings, including an unbeaten century, at an average of 47.33.
His inclusion, however, comes with a trade-off. Sundar and Dube, the latter having bowled just 10 overs across his last 10 T20Is, are expected to split the fifth bowler's 10 overs between them, leaving India vulnerable if any of the specialist bowlers endure an off day.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
