Cricketers on the fringes of Team India — such as Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey — got a timely boost with captain Virat Kohli saying that the message from the selection committee is to try out a few players on the tour of the West Indies.
However, with almost a full-strength team going to the Caribbean, there is lack of clarity on whether such players, who are desperate to stake their claim for spots, will get a chance in the three-match ODI series.
The selectors have picked KL Rahul as an opener, which leaves Iyer and Pandey to push their case for the number four spot. Iyer has been on record arguing that being in and out of the team doesn’t help a player’s cause. Pandey, too, has often got a raw deal with his batting position fluctuating depending upon the situation of the match.
Though the one-dayers will give rise to some team selection issues, the T20s will witness young players turning out for India. The selectors want to find a few players before the ICC World T20 to be held next year in Australia.
The Indian team will play three T20s – two in the United States – against West Indies. Krunal Pandya, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, Rahul Chahar, Washington Sundar and Navdeep Saini are the young faces part of the T20 team.
