India suffered a historic setback on Sunday, January 18, as they lost an ODI series to New Zealand at home for the first time since 1988. The BlackCaps won the third ODI by 41 runs at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, recording a 2-1 series win and their first ODI series triumph on Indian soil after eight attempts.
After winning the toss in Indore, the hosts conceded a massive total of 337/8 to the visitors. Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips smashed centuries after three early wickets. India could not get close to the target in the must-win encounter. The Men in Blue will play their next ODI series later this year in July.
India had mixed performances in recent ODIs. While Virat Kohli and KL Rahul put up memorable performances, several others struggled to make an impact. With an ODI series against England coming up in the next six months, a few players could be dropped.
5 Names At Risk Of Axing For India’s Next ODI Series
Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja endured a tough ODI series against New Zealand, which has raised questions about his future in the format. He scored only 43 runs across three innings and failed to take a wicket despite bowling 23 overs.
Jadeja also struggled to control the middle overs with the ball. In the deciding ODI, he conceded 41 runs in six overs without a breakthrough, allowing batters like Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips to score freely.
His batting returns of 4, 27, and 12 showed a clear dip in impact. With both bat and ball falling short, the possibility remains that Ravindra Jadeja may have already played his last ODI.
Ayush Badoni & Dhruv Jurel
Ayush Badoni was added after Washington Sundar was ruled out following the first ODI. However, Badoni did not feature in the playing XI for the second and third matches, as the team management preferred Nitish Kumar Reddy as the batting all-rounder.
Dhruv Jurel was brought into the squad as a replacement for Rishabh Pant, who suffered a side strain while batting in the nets. Jurel joined the team before the first ODI of the series.
Since Badoni and Jurel were added only as injury replacements, it is unlikely that they will retain a place in the squad for the next ODI series, which is six months away.
Nitish Kumar Reddy & Prasidh Krishna
Nitish Kumar Reddy joined the playing XI in the second ODI and scored 20 runs while bowling just two overs. In the series decider, India used him more with the ball, giving him eight overs.
Reddy scored his maiden ODI half-century and shared an important partnership with Virat Kohli. However, he could not deliver with the ball and went wicketless from the 10 overs he bowled in the series.
Prasidh Krishna played the first two ODIs ahead of Arshdeep Singh but failed to impress. He picked up three wickets across the two games at an average of 36.33 and an economy rate of 6.05.
Prasidh returned figures of 2/60 in the first ODI at Vadodara and 1/49 in the second match. India then dropped him for the decider in Indore and brought Arshdeep back into the side.
Also read: Sunil Gavaskar goes berserk, blames “certain individuals” for India’s shameful ODI series loss vs NZ
