Following the surprising announcement of the T20I team for the World Cup and the upcoming series against New Zealand, the BCCI is now preparing to unveil the ODI team. It is anticipated that Shreyas Iyer, who already headed to BCCI's Centre of Excellence, will join the team, along with captain Shubman Gill, who also missed the last ODI series against South Africa. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and other senior players are currently playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Both Kohli and Sharma delivered impressive performances, scoring centuries.
Though India will not go with their full strength team, as Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah are all set to be sidelined again from the ODIs.
Are Bumrah and Hardik not on Gambhir's radar for ODIs?
Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah won't play the ODIs once again as they have a bigger duty to do. The all-rounder and Indian star pacer are all set to play the T20I World Cup, and will be in the dressing room as the most senior players. Hardik, who was going through a few fitness issues, had not played the 50-over format since the Champions Trophy final. On the other hand, as Bumrah’s workload needs to be managed, the stalwart player has not played any one-day internationals since the 2023 World Cup final.
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Hardik marks his return to the side in December after a two-month break for injury with some solid performances. Bumrah, who is playing Test and T20Is continuously, will be on work when New Zealand face India in the T20Is from 21st January. However, as per reports, Hardik is expected to play for Baroda in the ongoing Vijay Hazare games, as he also complies with the BCCI diktat of mandatory participation in domestic games.
Shreyas Iyer’s return is almost confirmed
Shreyas Iyer, who sustained a serious injury in the Australia ODI series, is now rehabbing heavily in Bengaluru CoE, and he will be there till 30th December. Then, he will join the Mumbai team for VHT matches.
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“We are hearing positive developments around Shreyas. He is very likely to play two games for Mumbai on January 3 and January 6. The final schedule will depend on clearance from CoE, but signs are positive for playing those games in Jaipur. He is batting well in the nets, and there is no discomfort," says a MCA official aware of developments as quoted by TOI.
If everything goes well, the Indian Vice Captain is expected to return to the business soon.
