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https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/rohit-sharma-retirement-last-india-england-third-odi-lords-bcci-2027-world-cup-10789964/

We need specialist batters and bowlers who can win it for us.

1. Jaiswal

2. Rahul

3. Sudarshan 

4. Gill

5. Pant

6. Jurel 

7. Jadeja / Washington 

8. Suthar

9. Gurnoor 

10. Kuldeep 

11. Bumrah 

....  7 best batsmen 

....  batting till 8 ....  9 can hit too

....  2 best pacers

....  3 best spinners needed in SL

....  5 best bowlers for Asian conditions.

12.  ??

13. Shaikh Rasheed

14. Washington / Jadeja 

15. Prasidh 

16. Siraj

●  Gurnoor must, must play ahead of Siraj as he can pick wickets on flat decks. (  While Siraj is good in tests only when he is leading the bowling in SENA )

●  Would have liked Sarfraz at 6 but he is not even in the A team.

●  Sudarshan is the only one who have prepared for No.3, so no other choice for us. Plus he is in good form.

●  Rahul backup keeper ... Sudarshan backup opener.

●  Kuldeep will turn the ball away from LHB and act like an off spinner.

Maybe "I love him" seems too sentimental, too un-pragmatic. Kind of culty. But people say with impunity they love Sachin, the Prime Minister, their wife. In the end, I say it because it's true.

I want to reverse the usual schedule of things. We don't have to wait until he retires to act. Rohit Sharma's name belongs on ships, and airports, and tattoos. He deserves straight-up hagiographies and a sold-out Bollywood blockbuster, after his exploits in the World Cup. Yes, this cultural canonisation is going to come after the chronic, constant, nonstop "but wasted tailunt" hedging around his legacy. But such is the courage of Rohit Sharma and his supporters; we shall reverse the orders. He is more than a cricketer. He is an idea, a world-historical hero, light itself. He belongs to a much more elite class of Indians than former cricketers, the more-than-cricketers. Gandhi, Ambedkar, Chanakya. That is where Rohit Sharma deserves to stand.

Who better to start this thread than the Fast and Furious  UMRAN  MALIK

151 kph ball hitting the proverbial top of off stump. 

Umran's nasty and hostile over to Shakib

This is the first cricinfo page of the list of leading run scorers in ODI cricket.  

There are 63 batsmen on this page. Most retired before the age of 38 and were in decline for at least a  couple of years before that. 

The only batsmen who pushed close to or slightly past that age while still delivering peak performances were SRT, Sanga, Jaya, Dilshan.

Before RoKo, Dilshan was the one who pushed it to the max. He was 38 years and 5 months old before his batting started declining terminally especially against stronger opposition. 

Rohit's batting output seems to have declined in this calendar year. But until then, he had maintained his output until the age of 38 years and 9 months which was extremely impressive. 

But it's clear that even the extreme outliers of ODI batsmen fade away between the ages of 38 and 39.

Something Agarkar and GG to think about very carefully even if they want to go ahead with Kohli. 

ODI Team: 

T20 Team: 

When will he get fired!? 

Rishabh Pant, who is struggling for form in the ongoing Indian Premier League, is in grave danger of losing his spot in the Indian ODI side as selectors could prefer Sanju Samson over the Lucknow Super Giants captain, a report in a major newspaper has claimed.

Currently, KL Rahul is India’s first choice wicketkeeper in ODIs, with Rishabh Pant being second in charge. He was part of the squad against New Zealand earlier this year before being ruled out of the series due to a side strain.

Samson threatens Pant’s ODI spot
And it seems like Pant’s return to the 50-over format is going to be very difficult as the BCCI selectors are more interested in giving a chance to Samson, who recently helped India win the T20 World Cup 2026 at home, claims a report in Dainik Jagran.

The 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa is not far, and the management is focussed on building the team for the same. India will play 20 ODIs home and away before the World Cup, including the upcoming three-match home series against Afghanistan that starts on 14 June.

But as Pant has struggled for form since returning from the side strain and scored only 189 runs in eight IPL 2027 matches at an average of 27, he could see himself making way for Sanju Samson in India’s ODI side.

Interestingly, Pant has not played an ODI for India since a game against Sri Lanka in 2024.

On the other hand, Samson’s T20 World Cup heroics and recent twin centuries for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026 have caught the selectors’ attention, the report added.

Overall, Pant has scored 871 runs in 37 ODIs at an average of 33.50, while Samson has accumulated 510 runs in 16 matches at an average of 56.66. Clearly, the numbers are in Samson’s favour.

If Rishabh Pant loses his ODI spot, he could be out of India’s entire white-ball setup, having already fallen out of the T20 side.

We saw in the recent WT20 how important a left-right combo is at the top of the order where our fortunes changed once we made that change. And we all saw the energy the youngsters brought to the table. But our ODI team is like a time machine who takes us back a couple of decades. No excitement, no aura, no X factor. Take Ishan out and you would think we're watching a team from early 2000s!

We have options like Jaiswal, Sai and Sooryavanshi (left field pick) at the top of the order and we've all seen how a left-right combo makes things difficult for bowlers and they struggle to maintain line & length and generally offer freebies down the leg while making adjustments, or have difficulty in formulating a strategy for a left-right combo. But we haven't made any changes despite knowing it. At the very least we need two lefties as batters in the team - one of the 3 I mentioned in the top order (I would prefer 2) and Ishan Kishan in the middle order as the wk. Also need hitter down the order coz I struggle to see who can consistently give us runs quickly after Iyer.

Plus we're still putting faith in Sundar when we've seen that he isn't a replacement for Axar in either bowling, fielding/catching or batting. And yet Gambhir loves him. If we don't make adjustments, we're doomed as we've seen the same old story with this team over the last 3 ODI WCs and we all know how it ends. Compare the ODI team to our T20 team and the difference is eye opening. This team is built to win bilateral series or group stages, not a World Cup.

1. Abhishek Sharma

2. Vaibhav Suryavanshi

3. Sanju Samson (C) (WK)

4. Ishan Kishan 

5. Shreyas Iyer 

Because we will have group of 6, where all play each other and ICC will put india pak together, then super 7 where all play each other and potential semi final clash.

Gill (C), Kohli, Rohit, Iyer, KL, Kishan, Sundar, Axar, Reddy, Kuldeep, Bumrah, Prasidh, Rana, Arshdeep and Gurnoor.

The camaraderie between Gill and Brar dates back to their Under-19 days with Punjab. It was Gill who helped Brar make further progress in his career.

In 2021, Brar broke into List A cricket, and a year later, he made his Ranji Trophy debut.

Brar had become a regular face in the Punjab setup by then. He featured in five Ranji matches during the 2022-23 season.

The 2024-25 season marked his stirring comeback. While Punjab faltered as a unit, the young pacer delivered a standout campaign with 26 wickets in just seven matches, including a five-wicket haul. The same year, he was picked by Gujarat Titans in the mega-auction.

Brar has been in an environment that further accelerated his growth. Sharing the dressing room with seasoned international bowlers gave him invaluable exposure, helping him better understand the demands, discipline, and mindset required to succeed at the highest level.

https://www.news18.com/amp/cricket/learning-from-shubman-gill-growing-with-gt-gurnoor-brar-brimming-with-excitement-after-maiden-india-call-up-ws-l-10103029.html

Quote

 

New Delhi: Ravichandran Ashwin has retired. Ravindra Jadeja is nearing the end of an illustrious career. Axar Patel has lost his bite, Kuldeep Yadav his magic, Varun Chakravarthy his mystery, and Washington Sundar can only be a containing bowler at best. India's famed spin factory is showing worrying signs of running dry, and the cupboard suddenly looks alarmingly bare.

In the search for wicket-taking bowlers, there are few convincing options. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, despite bowling three no-balls in the second T20I against England and being dropped for the remaining matches, has been picked as Varun Chakravarthy's replacement for the Zimbabwe tour.

Eyebrows were raised when the selectors picked 33-year-old Madhya Pradesh off-spinner Saransh Jain and Uttar Pradesh leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari, who had not played a first-class match in six years, in the India A squad for the Sri Lanka tour.

TimesofIndia. com can confirm that Jain earned his selection after impressing former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh during a specialist camp for emerging off-spinners conducted at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in March. Zeeshan, meanwhile, caught the eye of head coach Gautam Gambhir in Chandigarh, where he was one of the seven net bowlers with the Indian team ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan.

With few proven options left in the pipeline, India's spin department is looking worryingly thin.

The debacle in Ireland and England

India's 6-0 loss across the T20I series in Ireland and England has had alarm bells ringing over the team's performances.

In T20 cricket, overs seven to fifteen are often described as the game's tactical heart. This is where quality spin attacks break partnerships, slow the scoring rate and force batters into mistakes. India's spinners have done neither consistently in recent weeks.

In the first T20I against Ireland, the hosts were reeling at 51 for 4 in 7.1 overs. What followed was a 64-run stand off just 44 balls between Lorcan Tucker and Gareth Delany that completely changed the complexion of the innings. India managed only one wicket between overs 7 and 15, the phase where spinners are expected to squeeze runs and pick up wickets. Axar Patel eventually finished with 2 for 33, but both his wickets came in the 18th and 20th overs, long after Ireland had rebuilt. Washington Sundar, meanwhile, leaked 19 runs in a single over, further easing the pressure.

The second T20I followed a similar template. Ireland were 48 for 3 after 7.3 overs, but Harry Tector and Ben Calitz added 65 runs in 43 balls for the fourth wicket. Axar Patel, India's lone specialist spinner in the game, returned figures of 0 for 28 from four overs but could not find the breakthrough India desperately needed.

England executed that plan even more ruthlessly. In the second T20I, England were reduced to 51 for 3 in 4.4 overs. Yet again, India failed to capitalise. Jacob Bethell and Tom Banton stitched a 67-run partnership off 50 balls, taking the game away.
 

India's spin trio of Ravi Bishnoi (0 for 60), Axar Patel (1 for 20) and Varun Chakravarthy (1 for 37) conceded 117 runs in their combined 12 overs while managing only two wickets. More tellingly, India picked up just one wicket between overs 7 and 15, allowing England to dictate the middle phase.

The third T20I offered only marginal improvement. India did claim three wickets between overs 7 and 15, but none came through spin. Axar Patel (1 for 49) and Varun Chakravarthy (0 for 35) combined for just one wicket across seven overs, and even that came outside the crucial rebuilding phase.

By the fourth T20I, England barely needed to negotiate the middle overs. Chasing a modest target, they wrapped up the contest in 13.5 overs, making India's spin attack largely irrelevant. Axar Patel (0 for 24) and Washington Sundar (0 for 19) went wicketless while conceding 43 runs in just three overs.

The fifth T20I was perhaps the most alarming. England piled up 257 for 3, with Axar Patel, India's lone spinner, enduring the most expensive spell of his T20I career, conceding 63 runs in four wicketless overs.
 

Not looking good in the ODIs

In the ODIs as well, one of India's biggest concerns in the lead-up to the 2027 World Cup has been their inability to consistently strike in the middle overs.

The trend has been evident across recent bilateral series.

Against Australia, India managed just four wickets in that phase across three ODIs, while New Zealand exposed the problem further as India went wicketless in the middle overs in Rajkot and Indore, losing both matches.

South Africa provided some relief, with Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna sharing nine wickets across three games.

The Afghanistan series produced mixed returns, with India taking five middle-over wickets each in Dharamsala and Lucknow but only one in Chennai. With Kuldeep seemingly slipping down the pecking order, captain Shubman Gill believes the solution lies in tall pacers such as Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana and Gurnoor Brar, whose bounce can create opportunities even on flat pitches.

"We have a good bunch of tall fast bowlers who can hit the right areas and still create opportunities with the old ball, even when there's not much help from the wicket or the conditions," Gill said after the Chennai ODI.

The concern is not merely about form but succession. For decades, India could rely on a conveyor belt of match-winning spinners to control games across formats. Today, that production line appears to have dried dramatically. With the 2027 ODI World Cup and next year's T20 World Cup cycle fast approaching, India's challenge is no longer just reviving the current crop but ensuring the next generation can once again make spin the team's greatest weapon rather than its biggest weakness.

 

SOURCE

both Kishen and Rahul while decent keepers are still not A grade. We need good slip catching.

Bumrah (locked in)
Siraj

Shami (too old?)

Arshdeep
Harshit

Gurnoor

Prasidh

Prince
Mayank

Ashok

https://www.cricinfo.com/cricketers/stephen-fleming-37000

From manchild loli and  halwai rohit to supermodel Gill era

For all the ho halla we have not won in England for 20 yr and never in South Africa and In Nz for 15 years and odi wc for 15 yr and Wtc never

All those wins are going to come under the golder era of Captain Gill

All hail the king of kings Gill

Lost 1-3 vs AUS (away)

Drew 2-2 vs ENG (away)

Won 2-0 vs WI (home)

Lost 0-2 vs SA (home)

Won 1-0 vs AFG (home)

ODIs:
Lost 0-2 vs SL ( away)
Won 3-0 vs ENG (home)

WON Champions Trophy 2025 
Lost 1-2 vs AUS ( away)

Won 2-1 vs SA (home)

Lost 1-2 vs NZ ( home)

Won 3-0 vs AFG (home)

T20s:
Won 3-0 vs SL (away)
Won 3-0 vs BD (home)
Won 4-1 vs ENG (home)

WON Asia Cup 2025 

Won 2-1 vs Aus (away)

Won 3-1 vs SA (home)

Won 4-1 vs NZ(home)

WON T20 WC 2026 

Lost 0-2 vs IRE ( away)

Lost 0-4 vs ENG( away)

What if sachin didn't recommand msd for captaincy??

What if kohli retired in 2022 from test cricket??

What if we played fifth test of 2021 eng tour??

I think both operated around 135 - 142 mark, maybe the odd effort ball around 145.

Younis looked faster than he was due to pitching the ball full. Both got a lot of movement which again exaggerates speed.

Thoughts?

Washington was rated highly by Dravid during his U-19 days but all of a sudden caught everyone’s attention as this 18-19 year old bowler who had this incredible maturity for his age.

Fast tracked to internationals , Went on to be Man of the tournament in his very first international outing.

Next thing you know, he is picked by RCB.

He has a mediocre season with RCB but still isn’t forgotten and continued  to get  international opportunities as a bench player.

Soon with a few decent outings he starts to become regular in the T20 side.

Continues to be backed in RCB matches like getting promoted to the order etc.

Was held back as a backup in the test side and was pushed ahead of Kuldeep to get a test debut.

Even during RCB post match interviews Kohli used to go “Washi bowled/batted well” etc Just like if you guys recollect Dhoni used to do the same with Jadeja.

Now he seems  to be getting a solid run in tests and has so far been good. A much better start than what Jadeja had when he started.

He is only 20, so I am sure he will see some highs and lows. I have a feeling he will be backed with the same intensity Jadeja was all those years. How it will turn out in the long run we will find out:

But get the feeling this is Kohli’s “Project Jadeja”. He must have learnt and picked up something from Dhoni all these years right ? Have a feeling we are going to have some fun with this.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/vaibhav-suryavanshi-1408688

BCCI plans to build a 30 to 35 player T20 pool from IPL 2026 to field two competitive teams amid overlapping international fixtures this year.

Indian cricket's talent pipeline has given the selectors an opportunity to think big. With the IPL continuing to churn out match-ready performers, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is planning on building a 30-35 player pool capable of fielding two competitive T20 sides simultaneously. Plans beyond a single core squad have to be framed immediately as India faces overlapping international commitments later this year, with the Asian Games clashing with a T20 series against the West Indies.

A BCCI official told NDTV, "The Asian Games and India vs West Indies T20 Series are going to be at the same time. So we have to look at two T20 teams playing. It is important from now to have a pool of 30-35 cricketers who can be called up for International assignments. For the upcoming Ireland tour, like most tours to UK, a bigger pool of players will be kept in the squad. This will extend for the Asian Games."

The Board is actively planning for parallel assignments this year and in the future as well since cricket is now a part of multi discipline sporting fixtures as well, including the Olympic Games in 2028. The emphasis is on depth, flexibility, and readiness. These are the qualities increasingly demanded in a packed global calendar.

The upcoming Ireland tour is expected to serve as a testing ground. Tours like these have traditionally been used to blood fringe players. This tour could now feature an expanded squad, mirroring the long-term vision of a larger talent pool extending through the Asian Games. India are also set to play Afghanistan in a 3-match T20I series in September, though the schedule for the tournament is yet to be finalised.

The names under consideration reflect the IPL's growing influence. In the batting department, talents like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Priyansh Arya and Angkrish Raghuvanshi have caught the selectors' attention with their fearless strokeplay. The likes of Rajat Patidar and Ayush Badoni are also on the selectors' radar.

The all-rounder slot, often the backbone of T20 balance, could see opportunities for players like Shashank Singh, and Anukul Roy, the cricketers who bring versatility and adaptability.

On the bowling front, there is a mix of youth and experience. Ravi Bishnoi continues to be a standout in white-ball cricket, while Khaleel Ahmed (depending on availability), Prasidh Krishna, Ashok Sharma, and Kartik Tyagi offer them with pace options.

The all-rounder slot, often the backbone of T20 balance, could see opportunities for players like Shashank Singh, and Anukul Roy, the cricketers who bring versatility and adaptability.

On the bowling front, there is a mix of youth and experience. Ravi Bishnoi continues to be a standout in white-ball cricket, while Khaleel Ahmed (depending on availability), Prasidh Krishna, Ashok Sharma, and Kartik Tyagi offer them with pace options.

It is a message to all youngsters this IPL season that BCCI is not just looking for the best 15, but the best 35.

Great so BCCI is serious about 2 T20 teams. 

In any case, what has consistency in last 10 years have given us? Just a solitary trophy. Yes, we were unbeaten for 12 years at home and reached all finals and semifinals but overall being consistent is just a tag. Nothing else. 

Aus run in last 10 years in test cricket. Highly inconsistent but won 4 trophies in between.

No one talks about them just because they keep on winning a trophy in 2-3 years.

Aus lost twice at home to India
Aus lost twice to India away
Aus lost to SA away
Aus drew twice with Eng away
Aus drew with SL away
Aus drew with WI home

But in between they won 2 ODI world cup, 1 T20 world cup and 1 WTC.

2025, won 16 out of 19 matches
Unreal consistency  

2026, won 12 out of 14 matches ( so far)

T20 WC Champion. 

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India last 59 completed T20I

Won 52

Lost 7

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Also, looked like all bases are covered for any condition. 

These are the pool of 21 players available for Gautam Gambhir. Plenty of multi skill players as well.

Top Order
Jaiswal, Abhishek, Samson, Ishan ,Tilak, Gill, Sky

Middle Order
 Iyer, Parag, Rinku, Pandya, Nitish, Dube, Jitesh

Spinners
Axar, Varun, Kuldeep, Washington

Pacers
Bumrah, Arshdeep, Harshit

ODIs:

11 Jan: 1st ODI - Vadodara

14 Jan: 2nd ODI - Rajkot

18 Jan: 3rd ODI - Indore

T20Is:

21 Jan: 1st T20I - Nagpur

23 Jan: 2nd T20I - Raipur

25 Jan: 3rd T20I - Guwahati

28 Jan: 4th T20I - Visakhapatnam

31 Jan: 5th T20I - Thiruvananthapuram

T20 World Cup - Feb/Mar

7 Feb: vs USA- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

12 Feb: vs Namibia- Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

15 Feb: vs Pakistan - R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

18 Feb: vs Netherlands - Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

21 Feb - 1 Mar: Super 8 matches

5 Mar : Semi Final (if Qualified) - Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

8 Mar: Final (if Qualified and if Opposition is not Pakistan) - Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Indian Premier League (IPL) - 26 Mar - 31 May

Multiple Venues

Afghanistan tour of India, 3 ODIs and 1 Test

Dates TBA

India Tour of England - July (5 T20Is + 3 ODIs)

T20Is:

01 July: 1st T20I - Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street

04 July: 2nd T20I - Old Trafford, Manchester

07 July: 3rd T20I - Trent Bridge, Nottingham

09 July: 4th T20I - County Ground, Bristol

11 July: 5th T20I - Rose Bowl, Southampton

ODIs:

14 July: 1st ODI - Edgbaston, Birmingham

16 July: 2nd ODI - Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

19 July: 3rd ODI - Lords, London

India Tour of Sri Lanka - August (2 Tests)

Dates TBA

Afghanistan vs India - September (3 T20Is)

Dates TBA

Asian Games - Sept 19 - Oct 4 (T20s) - Japan

Details TBA

West Indies Tour of India - September (3 ODIs + 5 T20Is)

Dates TBA

India Tour of New Zealand - Oct/Nov (2 Tests + 3 ODIs)

Dates TBA

Sri Lanka Tour of India - December (3ODIs + 3T20Is) 

Dates TBA

BCCI and team management was forced to select him but  came up with this plan to undermine him. They're giving him the Jaiswal treatment just like Jaiswal was sidelined despite being the best batter in the team. The team management will keep Sooryavanshi on the bench undermining his confidence and give him the last game hoping he fails, which he most likely will after riding the bench for more than a month. Then they'll claim he isn't "ready" for intl cricket and sideline him. I see a Jaiswal 2.0 situation.

Team and BCCI knows that had Sooryavanshi gotten all 7 games this tour (2 against Ireland and 5 against Eng) he's too good not to play a couple of match-winning innings and then they would never be able to kick him out. They would've to make way for him and chances are he would've forced his way into ODIs and WC team too. Their only chance was to ensure Sooryavanshi doesn't take off coz if he does, it's game over for the other "Sooperstars". So they decided to make him another Jaiswal.

Windies have one the first match and gained 3 crucial ranking points - on 76 now, 7 behind Bangladesh. 

They need to overtake Bangladesh by March , 2027 to avoid playing qualifiers.