ODI World Cup 2023 calling, is Team India really ready?

From the nervewracking World Test Championship WTC final in June to a further competitive Ashes series in JuneJuly this year has been exciting across all formats In about two months the cricketing world will brace for the prestigious ODI World Cup 2023 with India playing the hostsGiven that MS Dhoni amp Co won the trophy the last time a World Cup match was played on home soil the Indian cricket team has to be prepared for a barrage of expectations ahead of the quadrennial tournamentWhen Kapil Devled team India created history defeating twotime World Cup champions West Indies in 1983 ODI World Cup final the world knew that those who dominated cricket had found a new competitor ndash a team that would go on to leave its imprint in the cricket Hall of Fame However the country had to wait 28 years before our Men in Blue replicated that success in 2011Now as Rohit Sharma amp Co face a similar task the teamrsquos preparedness for the crucial tournament has been called into question especially in view of the recent experimentation in the threematch IND vs WI ODI series and the unconfirmed return of some key playersRejig of the batting order in IND vs WI ODI seriesAs the team entered their final lap of preparations for the World Cup in the Caribbean series the Indian team management decided to test players in different roles to prepare for uncertain situations in the tournament including possible injuriesTwo experienced batters of the team Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were rested in the second and third ODIs in order to give opportunities to middleorder batters to prove their potential and in a way present their candidature for the World Cup squadHardik Pandya who was the captain in Rohitrsquos absence stated during the toss for the second ODI that lsquothere are a few questions that need to be answeredrsquo indicating that the team management is still making up its mind about the possible players roles and combinations for big tournaments like Asia Cup 2023 and ODI World Cup 2023Wicketkeeperbatter Sanju Samson and allrounder Axar Patel replaced Rohit and Kohli respectively However both of them failed to leave a mark as they were dismissed for 9 and 1 respectively in the second ODIWith star middleorder batters KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyerrsquos return still hanging in the balance the management is unclear about the Playing XI for the World Cup and thus have tried to test most players in all possible roles in the series considered to be the dress rehearsal for the World CupThe shuffling of the batting order didnrsquot bear fruit in the second ODI as India lost to West Indies ndash a team that hasnrsquot qualified for the World Cup for the first time in the history of cricket ndash attracting criticism from experts and fans alikeThe third ODI was a different story While Patel was left out Samson smashed a halfcentury batting at No 4 Ishan Kishan scored 77 opening for IndiaJustifying the experimentation head coach Rahul Dravid remarked ldquoHonestly this was our last chance to try out some of our players We have got a few of our players injured who are in NCA With a month to go until Asia Cup we are running out of time in a lot of ways We are hopeful that some of them injured players will be fit for Asia Cup and World Cup but we cant take those chancesrdquoIshan Kishan Sanju Samson or Suryakumar YadavIshan Kishan looked solid to be selected as the second wicketkeeper in the World Cup squad provided Rahul returns However with Rahulrsquos availability still uncertain there is a window of hope for Samson to compete with Ishan who accumulated 50 scores in all three ODIs for the middleorder wicketkeeperbatter spotSamson who averages 5571 in the ODI format will also be in competition with Suryakumar Yadav who had a mediocre outing in the recent series While his heroics in the T20I format are wellknown Suryakumar could only manage to show some glimpses of his form in the ODI outing with scores of 19 24 and 35 in the three matches respectivelyFormer India cricketer Mohammad Kaif extended an endorsement for Samson to be selected in the middleorder after he was impressed with the latterrsquos underpressure knock in the third ODI Wasim Jaffer on the other hand expressed doubt on Samsonrsquos consistency and his highrisk approach playing at No 4The first three batting slots are all but fixed with Rohit and Shubman Gill expected to open and Kohli to be at No 3 This excludes Ishan from the top order a slot where he has played the most in his careerAlso Read Team Indias Big Three and the inevitability of successionSamson on the other hand has experience playing in the No4 or No5 position and also boasts of an impressive ODI recordWho among Samson Suryakumar and Ishan will find a place in the Playing XI is still unclear and the three will be in focus if selected for the Asia CupJasprit Bumrahrsquos return crucialOne thing that everyone seems to agree on is the importance of Jasprit Bumrahs return to the Indian team The pace spearhead who has been out of action sinceSeptember 2022 is crucial to Indias bowling attack He took 18 wickets for India in the 2019 World Cup the highest among Indian bowlers and the fifthhighest overall in that editionBumrah has been recovering at the National Cricket Academy NCA after undergoing surgery for a back injury In positive news for India he was named the captain for T20I series against Ireland However his fitness for the 50overs format will undergo the real test in Asia Cup to be held in SeptemberHe will be accompanied by pacers Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj who were rested for the ODI series Kuldeep Yadav also seems to have sealed his place as the firstchoice spinner while Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja are the obvious picks for allroundersShardul Thakur is expected to be included in the World Cup squad after he finished as Indiarsquos leading wickettaker 8 wickets in the ODI series His spell of 437 in the third ODI was his best in the formatSpinner Yuzvendra Chahal is in the running for a place in the squad while Patel is also a viable inclusionThe team management has the option to choose Prasidh Krishna who has returned after an injury Umran Malik and R Ashwin as standby bowlersWith the Asia Cup beginning in a month there are still many variables to be fixed Remember it is a crucial tournament that could act as a practice ground for the World Cup squad provided the experimentation in the team reaches a strategic conclusionThe selection of the final Playing XI also largely depends on Rahul and Iyerrsquos fitness and availabilityIndia is hosting Australia for a threematch ODI series in September before the World Cup begins This provides the team another chance to test their strength and prepare for the premier tournamentWhile uncertainty still hovers over Indiarsquos World Cup squad the teamrsquos chances of winning the 50overs tournament are in no way foggyThe hosts will start as firm favourites for the trophy and it is up to Rohit amp Co to find their form and make the best of every match irrespective of the inclusions and exclusions in the final squad