Mumbai seam-bowling all-rounder Suryansh Shedge has emerged as a strong contender to earn his maiden ODI call-up for India’s tour of New Zealand following a string of impressive performances in the recently-concluded List A series against Australia A.
The 23-year-old Shedge, who played three T20Is for India in England, recently returned to competitive cricket after recovering from a hamstring injury and impressed with both bat and ball in the unofficial one-day series against Australia A in Puducherry.
In the first game, he picked up four wickets with his accurate seam bowling, while in the final one-dayer, he scored a fine 66 in a winning cause.
“Shedge has a very high chance of making it to the ODI squad simply because Nitish Kumar Reddy will have an important role to play in the Test series as the fourth seamer and a floater in the lower order. Hence, Reddy won’t play all the ODIs as he has to prepare for the red-ball games,” a BCCI source told PTI.
The five-match series will follow as many T20Is during the marathon tour starting October 22. The ODI rubber will begin November 4 in Auckland.
While T20 cricket has been Shedge’s strongest format, what must have caught the attention of interim selection committee chairman Pragyan Ojha and his colleagues is the remarkable improvement in the young all-rounder’s bowling.
owing to Hardik Pandya’s prolonged absence from competitive cricket due to a spate of injuries, the Indian team management is looking for potent alternatives.
Reddy, the next-best choice, has also had a history of injury issues in his short career, but he remains the only option for the Test matches.
The fifth ODI in Tauranga will be played on November 15, while the first Test in Wellington begins on November 19.
With November 16 being the team’s travel day, the Indian players will have just two practice sessions on November 17 and 18 before the red-ball assignment.
Therefore, the selection committee, which has delayed the announcement of the ODI squad, may have little choice but to pick an expanded contingent for the 50-over games to allow the Test players some breathing space.
In this scenario, Shedge’s skill-set makes him an attractive option, given how rare such all-rounders are in Indian cricket.
The scheduling has caused considerable heartburn, as New Zealand Cricket’s (NZC) request to the BCCI to add a couple of extra ODIs has left the Test team with just a two-day window to prepare for a crucial World Test Championship series.
It is understood that skipper Shubman Gill might also focus on red-ball preparations after the conclusion of the third ODI on November 10.
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