3 Pakistan players who can fit into the current Indian team

The Indian ODI team is going through a fabulous phase. In the last 11 bilateral series, they have emerged victorious in 10 of them, losing only to the No. 1 ODI team, England. They have found players who have stepped up in different stages and taken the team home.

On the other hand, even though Pakistan are the No. 1 T20I team and have done exceedingly well in the shortest format, they haven’t had a great run in the 50-overs version since they won the Champions Trophy in 2017. However, there are a few players who have stood out with some excellent performances.

Hence, let’s look at players who could fit into the current Indian ODI team. The ‘Men in Blue’ do have a few loopholes in their line-up and some of the Pakistan players could be answers to their issues.

Here are 3 Pakistan players who can fit into the current Indian ODI team:

Shoaib Malik

The Indian middle-order has not been in the best of forms for a while now. Despite the top-order laying the platform, India haven’t been able to really find that big flourish towards the end.

Shoaib Malik is one Pakistan player who has the ability to bat anywhere in the order. More importantly, he can play the role of a finisher. With MS Dhoni’s finishing skills on the wane, Malik can certainly fit into the side at No. 5 or 6. If the team loses early wickets, he can put his head down and rebuild. On the other hand, he can give that flourish towards the end and doesn’t need a lot of deliveries to get his eye in.

Hence, the current stand-in Pakistan skipper can be a good fit in the current Indian team.

Shaheen Afridi

In the history of Indian cricket, only 17 left-arm pacers have donned the national jersey. Out of these 17, only 10 have played ODI cricket. Out of these 10 players, only four of them have played in excess of 50 games. Hence, in its rich cricket history of 87 years, India have hardly seen any left-arm pacers.

In recent times, Jaydev Unadkat and Khaleel Ahmed have played for the national team but haven’t been consistent. Thus, India would want an addition like Shaheen Afridi. The 18-year-old pacer has been very impressive in his short international career so far. He first dominated the Under-19 and junior cricket before making a very good start to his international career.

The tall left-arm quick has the ability to bowl fast and can move the ball both ways. He has troubled the batsmen and bowls fiery spells just like he did recently in the ODI series South Africa. Shaheen can add variety to this Indian attack which already looks good. Hence, he is one Pakistan player who could easily fit into the Indian ODI team.

Babar Azam

Babar Azam is one of the rising stars in world cricket. He is one of the best players in limited-overs cricket in the Pakistan side at the moment. The 24-year-old boasts of an average in excess of 50 in both the shorter formats. He controls the game batting at No. 3 for Pakistan. Azam is the rock of Pakistan’s batting line-up in limited-overs cricket.

India have had a long-term issue with the No. 4 slot. Since the World Cup in 2015, 11 players have got an opportunity at that slot but none of them have cemented their place. One of the big reasons has been inconsistency. The likes of Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane and many others have been tried but none of them have worked.

Hence, Azam could easily slot in at No. 4. A player of his class and ability could well be the solution to India’s No. 4 woes. Hence, Babar Azam looks the best Pakistan player who could fit into the current Indian ODI side.

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