Team India registered a comfortable victory over the West Indies in the third ODI to clinch the series and maintain their unbeaten record in the Caribbean but there are a lot of questions that remain unanswered in the lead up to the Asia Cup and the World Cup.
India's decision to give rest to captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli has been drawing a lot of flak from fans and cricket pundits as the Rahul Dravid-led team management is still in the process of chopping and changing with barely two months left for the World Cup.
From 2011 to 2020, India played just 12 ODIs without Rohit and Kohli in the team. But team has already played 17 ODIs without the two stalwarts from 2021 to 2023.
Strengthening the Bench vs. Game Time for Senior Players
Youngsters like Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson and Mukesh Kumar got the chance to showcase their abilities against the West Indies but the problem is, most of them won't be a part of the playing XI in the World Cup.
The reason given by Dravid behind the experiments was that they want to strengthen the bench by playing the youngsters but the problem with this is that the senior players like Rohit and Kohli will have very little game time before the two big tournaments coming up.
India will play their next ODI directly in the Asia Cup so when will Rohit & Kohli prepare for the tournament?
Even fans are purplexed by the team's strategies off late as this is not the ideal way to prepare for a big tournament like the World Cup.
Lack of Squad Stability and Defined Roles
The Indian team which won the 2011 World Cup at home had played together for atleast a year before the tournament started. India had a settled squad and everyone's role was defined by the captain and coach.
This time however, we just don't know who's coming in and who's going out and what will the final squad be for the World Cup.
Injuries Adding to Uncertainty
Add to that the issue of injuries in the squad. Jasprit Bumrah will return for the Ireland T20Is and if he's fit then he will be India's No. 1 choice fast bowler.
KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, India's first-choice middle order batters, are also recovering from their injuries. Rahul has already started full fledged practice with the bat and behind the stumps as a wicketkeeper.
But the problem is, if Rahul & Iyer are fit for the World Cup they will be included in the Indian squad however, they won't have any game time before the tournament. Bumrah will still get to play a little bit of international cricket before the World Cup but the same can't be said about Rahul & Iyer.
Heartbreak Looming for Indian Cricket Fans?
India are being considered as one of the favourites to lift the title at home once again but unfortunately, it looks highly unlikely with the kind of preparation that they have done.
Rohit and Virat haven't got much game time, same is the case with Rahul & Iyer. The young guns like Gill & Ishan will be playing their first World Cup and the bowling attack will be lead by Bumrah, who is returning to competitive cricket after 10 months.
Unlikelihood of Rohit Sharma Emulating Kapil Dev and MSD
In my view, Indian cricket fans should be prepared for a heartbreak this year as well as the wait for an ICC title continues. It's been over 10 years India last won a major trophy which came under MS Dhoni.
And it looks highly unlikely that Rohit Sharma will be able to emulate Kapil Dev and MSD by lifting the World Cup in Ahmedabad on November 19th.
