New Delhi: In the second and third ODIs against the West Indies, the Indian team management, led by head coach Rahul Dravid, came under fire for not selecting regular captain Rohit Sharma and former skipper Virat Kohli. If Rohit and Kohli weren't going to play, then why were they even selected for the ODI squad? Everyone who loved cricket had this question on their mind. It would have made more sense to let them go home rather than have them stay with the squad. Additionally, considering that the last three ODIs were played prior to a multi-nation competition like the Asia Cup, shouldn't India have fielded their strongest XI?

Additionally, India's batting lineups during the three-match ODI series sent mixed messages. Suryakumar Yadav was sent to bat at No. 3 in the first ODI before being dropped to No. 6 in the following two games. While opener Ruturaj Gaikwad batted at No. 3 in the decider, Axar Patel was moved up to No. 4 in the second game and was not selected for the first or third ODI.

Fans and haters on social media, however, were unaware of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul's fitness update. When healthy, Iyer and Rahul are both regarded as surefire starters for India's ODI XI. Important here are the final two words. Iyer and Rahul are both reportedly doubtful for the Asia Cup. On July 21, the BCCI issued a medical update regarding the condition of batters Rahul and Iyer, pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant. They are currently engaged in strength and conditioning exercises and have resumed hitting in the nets. The BCCI Medical Team is pleased with their development and will step up their effort in the upcoming days in terms of both skill development and strength and conditioning, according to the update on Rahul and Iyer.

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Iyer and Rahul are still far from regaining match fitness while Bumrah and Krishna have regained fitness and were included in the T20I series against Ireland. Iyer is currently recovering from a back injury that forced him to miss the IPL 2023 and recurred during the home Test series against Australia. Rahul, on the other hand, required surgery in London after sustaining a thigh injury during an IPL 2023 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Iyer, India's preferred No. 4 batsman, and Rahul, India's No. 5 batsman and preferred keeper in ODIs, have both started to bat again in the nets, but a BCCI official said the pair are still far from being able to field for 50 overs.

“It’s not just whether they can bat, again. At this stage, it cannot be ascertained if they can field at full fitness in a 50 overs match,” a BCCI official told.

In order to prepare for the Asia Cup and World Cup, Rohit and Kohli were initially scheduled to play in all three One-Day Internationals (ODI) against the West Indies. However, once the team management learned of Iyer and Rahul's dismal fitness reports, they were forced to change their schedule. They were left with no choice but to get backups for Rahul and Iyer. Giving opportunities to players like Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav was the best way to achieve this.

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Rahul and Iyer would only have the three One-Day Internationals against Australia (Sept. 22–27) to demonstrate their readiness for the World Cup, which starts on October 5, if they are unable to return to full fitness in time for the Asia Cup. The selectors can pick Rahul provisionally for the World Cup and make a final decision later if he shows a significant improvement in fitness over the next few days. Rahul would otherwise serve as both a wicketkeeper and middle-overs batter. The team management and selectors would prefer not to take the chance of entering a competition like the World Cup with a player who hasn't demonstrated his match fitness.

Despite all of his record-breaking success in T20Is, SKY hasn't quite figured out the ODI code. He, along with Samson as a backup keeper, become essential to India's plans, though, as Iyer and Rahul are questionable. According to appearances, Dravid and Rohit have sort of decided that SKY is more suitable at No. 6 than No. 4. As a result, he can bat freely for the final 15-20 overs of the game, using them just like a T20I.

India's No. 4 options are thus limited. Samson steps in to help with that. The Kerala cricketer typically bats in the top three positions, but in ODIs, he has primarily batted between positions No. 4 and 6. He smashed a sparkling half-century while batting at No. 4 with four sixes in the final ODI against the West Indies. He can be a possibility if Iyer is unable to recover in time thanks to his technique and capacity to attack the spinners.

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