IND vs BAN: Another World Cup is on the cards for the Indian team and this time around it will be played in the 50-over format. With the 50-over World Cup in sight, the Indian team management has the onus upon themselves to build a strong team that can take on the global cricketing giants. Just like every other team, the Indian team too has three main building blocks to them, the captain, the coach, and the vice-captain.
The trio of Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid, and KL Rahul will have to ensure that they field a strong eleven when the all-important World Cup starts. It is the team of Dravid, Sharma, and Rahul that decides the playing XI for every match that is played. In a recent turn of events, India's first-choice wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was not included in the final playing XI. Before the start of the first One Day International, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced that Pant had been released from the squad. What catches the eye is KL Rahul's statement that he gave after the match. Rahul said that he had no idea that Pant was being released from the squad. The BCCI also made it very clear that they were not seeking to have any replacement for Rishabh Pant.
KL Rahul further said
I exactly do not know what happened to Rishabh Pant. When I entered the dressing room, I did not see him. I don't know what was the reason behind it, these questions should be asked to the medical team.
Rishabh Pant has been extremely dismal and short of performances as far as the white ball format is considered. pant undoubtedly is a stalwart in the red ball format, but come to the white ball games, he fails to perform, every single time. The team has shown a lot of faith in KL Rahul. With Rohit Sharma returning and Shikhar Dhawan still in the scheme of things, KL Rahul always had to bat in the number four spot. Rahul's inclusion in the side also gives India an edge and enables them to field six bowlers on the park. As far as the team management is concerned, their plans remain cluttered and it seems that the players do not have any clarity about their roles in the team. The men in blue will certainly have to figure out something and put their preparations in place as there isn't much time left for the ODI World Cup which is scheduled to be played in India later next year.
