It's now clear that all-rounders are most sought-after in Indian cricket. On Sunday, the national selectors picked Gurkeerat Singh Mann for the first three ODIs against South Africa.
It's now clear that all-rounders are most sought-after in Indian cricket. On Sunday, the national selectors picked Gurkeerat Singh Mann for the first three ODIs against South Africa.
The inclusion of the Punjab all-rounder in the ODI squad, and that of Karnataka left-arm fast bowler Sreenath Aravind for the three-match Twenty20 series, were the only two surprises.
The selection of Mann meant that Ravindra Jadeja, who was a certainty in the shorter formats of the game not too long ago, did not find a place in either squad. Senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was drafted into the T20 squad, while leg-spinner Amit Mishra was rewarded for his good showing in the Test series against Sri Lanka with a place in both squads. He replaced Mumbai pacer Dhawal Kulkarni.
Explaining their move to include Mann, chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil said, "The moment we looked at Gurkeerat, we looked at his all-round ability. We certainly want not one but more. Looking at the need of the hour and the current playing norms, we need to have more all-rounders."
The middle-order batsman, who plays for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, was the highest run-getter for Punjab in the 2014-15 Ranji Trophy season, amassing 677 runs in eight matches at an average of 56.41. He's also did well for India 'A', guiding them to victory with a 58-ball 65 and 5/29 against Bangladesh 'A' in the first unofficial ODI last Wednesday. Even in the tri-series final against Australia 'A' last month, the 25-year-old played a key role, smashing an unbeaten 87 and picking up two wickets.
As for Aravind, his inclusion in the T20 squad was made to provide more variety to the attack. The left-arm seamer, who was picked for the ODI home series against England in 2011 but did not get a game, took 42 wickets in 10 games in Karnataka's victorious 2014-15 Ranji Trophy campaign.
"Looking ahead at the World T20, we wanted variation. We wanted to give opportunities to those who have done well in the domestic circuit, tri-series and 'A' series," Patil said.
Meanwhile, Ishant Sharma who had a good outing in Sri Lanka, was ignored for the shorter formats, though Patil said his name was discussed for the ODIs as well as T20s. Mohammed Shami has still not recovered from the knee injury he suffered earlier this year.
SQUADS
T20Is: MS Dhoni (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Stuart Binny, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Amit Mishra, S Arvind
First 3 ODIs: MS Dhoni (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Stuart Binny, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav
SCHEDULE
September 29: Board President's XI v South Africans in New Delhi
October 2: First T20I in Dharamsala
October 5: Second T20I in Cuttack
October 8: Third T20I in Kolkata
October 11: First ODI in Kanpur
October 14: Second ODI in Indore
October 18: Third ODI in Rajkot
October 22: Fourth ODI in Chennai
October 25: Fifth ODI in Mumbai
PATIL SPEAK
We have not discussed anything regarding the captaincy of the ODI side. We are very happy with the way Mahendra Singh Dhoni has led, and he has our total backing during this series
--On Dhoni's continuation as ODI and T20 captain
We didn't discuss Jadeja. But it's not like we have forgotten him
--On Ravindra Jadeja
We did discuss Ishant Sharma also (for ODIs and T20s). Not like we have earmarked him only for Tests
--On Ishant Sharma
I hope they don't have different selectors also
--On BCCI's idea of multiple coaches
Dhoni, Harbhajan my role models: Mann
Having earned a maiden call-up in the Indian ODI side, Gurkeerat Singh Mann said captain MS Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh were his batting and bowling role models, respectively. "In the current lot, MS Dhoni is my batting role model because we both play very much at the same batting order. I relate to his game a lot, and I earnestly watch him bat whenever he is playing for India. I get to learn a lot from him," Mann said. "My bowling role model is Harbhajan Singh. We were lucky to have him play in this year's Ranji Trophy. Whenever I had a bowling problem I went up to him for some vital tips."
Open to different coaches for different formats: Thakur
BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur on Sunday said the board is not averse to having different coaches for different formats in future. "We are also thinking about having coaches for two different formats, not only captains," Thakur said, adding that the decision will depend on what the team requires at a particular juncture. "It depends on what is your requirement. If the situation (of having different coaches) arises and that helps Indian cricket, why not, considering the number of matches that we play," he said.
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 "Gurkeerat Singh Mann (right)")
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