Sunil Gavaskar Says India Have Already Got Their Best ODI XI. This Star Will Miss Out
The India vs New Zealand three-match ODI series is currently level at 1-1, with the deciding game to be played on January 18 in Indore.
- New Zealand beat India in the second ODI to take the three-match series to the decider
- "Had India won this game, Yashasvi Jaiswal could have gotten a bit of a run as well," said Sunil Gavaskar
- "But now India can't take any chances. They have to play their best eleven again," he added
The India vs New Zealand three-match ODI series is currently level at 1-1, with the deciding game to be played on January 18 in Indore. The hosts started with a four-wicket win in Vadodara, but the Black Caps bounced back with a seven-wicket victory in Rajkot. As both teams gear up for the finale, India legend Sunil Gavaskar said the Shubman Gill-led side would feature "their best ODI XI," with Yashasvi Jaiswal likely missing out.
Jaiswal, a regular in Test cricket for India, was recently recalled to India's ODI playing XI when Shubman Gill missed the South Africa series due to injury. The southpaw struggled with scores of 18 and 22 before capping off with a match-winning 116 not out.
Despite that knock, Jaiswal had to sit out of the playing XI as captain Gill returned for the New Zealand ODIs. While Jaiswal remains in the squad for the one-dayers against the Black Caps, Gavaskar opined that he would stay on the bench for the third game.
"Had they (India) won this (second) game, they would have had the freedom to experiment a little, perhaps giving opportunities to those who haven't played so far. Someone like Jaiswal could have gotten a bit of a run as well. All of that might have been possible. But now they can't take any chances. They have to play their best eleven again," Gavaskar said on JioHotstar.
In the second ODI, India posted 284 for 7 on a sluggish Rajkot wicket after being invited to bat first. At that point, it seemed the hosts had a competitive total, but Daryl Mitchell's century and Will Young's solid 87 ensured New Zealand chased it down comfortably with 15 balls to spare.
"I was surprised by how easily New Zealand got across the line because, before they started batting, everyone thought India would be able to make use of the slowness of the pitch," Gavaskar said.
"With their (New Zealand) bowlers, not just the spinners, but all of them, using the slowness of the surface well, it felt like India would be able to restrict New Zealand to around 260 or 270. I thought that would have been an easy win for India," he added.
India Cricket Team
New Zealand Cricket Team
Sunil Gavaskar