India eye Suryansh Shedge for New Zealand ODIs after Australia A heroics

Mumbai all-rounder Suryansh Shedge has emerged as a strong contender for his first ODI call-up for India’s tour of New Zealand after 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.

He picked up four wickets in the first game with his accurate seam bowling, while in the last one-day tournament he scored a fine 66 in the winning run.

“Shedge has a very high chance of making the ODI squad simply because Nitish Kumar Reddy will have an important role in the Test series as the fourth seamer and lower-order seamer. So Reddy will not play all the ODIs as he has to prepare for the red-ball matches,” a BCCI source told PTI.

The five-match series will follow as many T20Is during the marathon tour that begins on October 22. The ODI rubber will begin on November 4 in Auckland.

While T20 cricket has been Shedge’s strongest format, what must have caught the attention of interim chairman of selectors Pragyan Ojha and his colleagues is the remarkable improvement in the young all-rounder’s bowling.

with Hardik Pandya’s long absence from competitive cricket due to a slew of injuries, the Indian team management is looking for effective alternatives.

Reddy, the next best option, has also had injury problems in his short career but remains the only option for 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 only two practice sessions on November 17 and 18 before being handed the red ball.

The selection committee, which has delayed the announcement of the ODI squad, may therefore have no option but to pick an expanded contingent for the 50-over games to give the Test players a breather.

In this scenario, Shedge’s skill set makes him an attractive option given how rare such all-rounders are in Indian cricket.

The scheduling caused considerable heartburn as New Zealand Cricket’s (NZC) request to the BCCI to add a few more ODIs left the Test team with just a two-day window to prepare for the crucial Test World Cup series.

It is understood that skipper Shubman Gill could also focus on red-ball preparations after the conclusion of the third ODI on November 10.

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