IND vs SL: 5 Deserving players who missed out on India's ODI and T20I squads

Team India will host Sri Lanka in a white-ball series which includes three T20Is and as many ODIs in January 2023 where the action will commence from January 3. The Men in Blue head into the bilateral series with skipper Rohit Sharma all set to return and will lead a new-look side ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup on home soil. While Rohit will lead the ODI component of the tour, Hardik Pandya will take the captaincy reigns for the three T20I matches. Hardik previously led the side to clinch the T20I series 1-0 against New Zealand in November. Furthermore, star batter Suryakumar Yadav marks his return to the side after being rested in the recently concluded series against Bangladesh and has been named as Hardik's deputy in the T20 format. Speaking about the squads, with certain players making their comeback and with the addition of new faces, there have been a few deserving players who have not got the chance to represent the side in the series. Here is a list of five players who deserved to make the cut in the squad in the forthcoming series against the Lankan Lions- 5 Deserving Players who missed out on India's squad 5. Kuldeep Yadav (T20Is) Kuldeep made headlines recently after marking his return to the national side in the red-ball format against Bangladesh. The left-arm spinner made a sensational comeback as he was adjudged as Player of the Match in the first Test as he relished bowling figures of 5/40 and 3/73 across innings and scored the vital knock of 40 runs. Despite this, he was dropped from the second Test match and was replaced by Jaydev Unadkat for the side to have an extra seamer. In any case, speaking about the forthcoming series against the Islanders, Kuldeep was picked in the ODI squad but did not make the cut in the T20I side. In 121 T20 matches, the spinner has added 149 wickets to his name with his best bowling figures being 5/17. His last T20I outing came against the West Indies in August wherein he racked up three wickets and gave mere 12 runs in his four overs with one maiden. Given that there have been new faces in the side making the cut, Kuldeep could have added value to the side had he made the cut in the T20I squad. 4. Ravi Bishnoi (Both ODIs and T20Is) Bishnoi has yet again found himself out of both the T20I and ODI squads in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. The spinner had been left out of the equation from the squad for the New Zealand series, though he was a part of the white-ball setup throughout this year. Furthermore, he even picked up a wicket in nearly every match in the Asia Cup 2022 but has been out of the reckoning. The young leggie in T20Is, has racked up 16 wickets in just 10 matches with his best figures coming at 4/16 against the West Indies earlier in August. Adding to this, in his previous two outings for Rajasthan in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he picked four wickets and proved to be economical for the side. It is quite interesting how the budding spinner has no place in any of the squads in India's next assignment. 3. Shikhar Dhawan (ODIs) With the inclusion of Rohit Sharma in the setup, it seemed obvious that the veteran southpaw would be dropped from the squad. Furthermore, the opener has been unable to hit the ground running with his willow after registering a string of low scores in the last six outings. Perhaps this may have been a major factor in excluding Dhawan from the ODI squad and the selectors could might a screeching break on him from featuring in the ODI World Cup in 2023. Dhawan has amassed 6793 runs in 167 ODI matches at an average of 44.11 which includes 17 centuries and 39 fifties. While the management is on the lookout to add new faces and give others an opportunity, the veteran star who boasts plenty of experience has been excluded from the setup. While it remains a subjective topic on whether his exclusion was the right call, Dhawan could have turned things despite an underwhelming run with the bat in recent times. 2. Shardul Thakur (ODIs and T20Is) Another interesting name which has been excluded from both the squads ahead of the series is that of Shardul Thakur. The right-arm pacer had a decent outing in the recently concluded series against Bangladesh and made impact when he took the ball. Shardul amassed three wickets in his five overs at an economy of 6.00, which handed the side an edge in the contest. Furthermore, in his 31 outings in the 50-overs format, he has racked up 44 wickets and has the potential to get some movement and add variations with the ball. Adding him in the Sri Lanka series could have been a great addition to the side considering his potential. However, dropping the pacer means the Indian side will need to look for solutions in other pacers making the cut in the squad. 1. Sanju Samson (ODIs) Sanju Samson has not had the rub of the green go his way as he has been excluded from the 50-over squad for the series. Interestingly, he has found place in the T20I squad and could feature in the matches scheduled to take place in the coming days. His exclusion has stunned many as the player played his final ODI innings for India against New Zealand in Auckland and scored the vital 36 runs from 38 balls. Furthermore, when ODIs would be emphasized more than T20Is considering that the ODI World Cup is on the horizon, excluding Sanju did not seem like the wisest of moves. Samson has scored 330 runs in 11 ODIs so far but he somehow doesn't remain the priority pick of selectors during squad selection. It remains to be seen if the batter will feature in the bilateral series post the Sri Lanka contest.

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IND vs SL: 5 Deserving players who missed out on India's ODI and T20I squads

A few deserving candidates missed out on their spots in the squad ahead of the series against Sri Lanka.

4. Ravi Bishnoi (Both ODIs and T20Is)

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