3 players who were unlucky to miss India’s squad for the New Zealand ODI series ft. Axar Patel

India will face New Zealand in a three-match ODI series later this month. The first match will be played in Vadodara on January 11.

The BCCI has recently announced India’s squad for the series. Shubman Gill will return to the team and lead the side, while Shreyas Iyer has been named vice-captain. Both players have recovered from injuries and missed the previous series against South Africa.

Competition in the 50-over format is very tough at the moment. Because of this, several players missed out on selection despite being in good form. With that in mind, here are three players who were unlucky to miss a place in India’s squad for the New Zealand ODI series.

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3. Axar Patel

Why has Axar Patel been left out of the last two ODI series? He played in Australia and performed well, but Ravindra Jadeja has been selected for the series against South Africa and New Zealand.

Jadeja’s batting form has dipped, while Axar has continued to improve. Axar’s bowling has been excellent over the last year, and he has also worked on his batting, especially against fast bowlers.

India needs a batting all-rounder who can play in the top seven, and Axar fits that role well. He feels unlucky to miss out on selection.

2. Ruturaj Gaikwad

Not long ago, Ruturaj Gaikwad scored his maiden ODI century. In that match against South Africa, the right-hander played a confident and fluent innings and even matched Virat Kohli shot for shot.

However, Shreyas Iyer’s return to the squad has meant that Gaikwad missed out. This is understandable, as Shreyas is an important player in this format, but Gaikwad will still be disappointed to miss the tour so soon after his big achievement.

Competition for places in India’s ODI team is very strong, and Gaikwad will need to keep performing to stay in contention.

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1. Dhruv Jurel

For the New Zealand ODI series, Rishabh Pant has been selected as KL Rahul’s backup wicketkeeper. However, Pant has not been in good form in domestic cricket for Delhi, while Dhruv Jurel has been scoring runs consistently.

Pant has clear limitations in white-ball cricket and has not played much since his serious accident. While it is fair that the selectors want to give him a chance, this may not be the right time.

Jurel looks like a more complete player in limited-overs cricket and appears to have a higher potential.