India vs West Indies: ‘World Cup the target, India to continue test out players’

Kolkata: India’s second ODI against West Indies in Guwahati on Wednesday will be about more than taking a 2-0 lead in the series. With the next ODI World Cup set to test the selectors, every game is becoming another opportunity for India to try out combinations, expose youngsters to pressure and work out which players can thrive in different phases of a match.

That was the message from India bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule ahead of the second ODI, with the team management treating the home series as an important part of a longer-term preparation process.

The challenge for India is that its preparation is happening alongside several other tournaments, including the Asian Games. Yet Bahutule believes the depth available to Indian cricket has allowed the selectors and management to distribute players across teams without compromising the quality of the sides. “Asian Games are as important as any other tournament. The home series is also very important,” Bahutule said.

The result is an unusual but potentially valuable situation for India. With multiple teams operating simultaneously, players who might otherwise have spent an entire season waiting for an opportunity are being given competitive cricket.

For the Indian team, that creates a larger pool from which to assess players before the World Cup, to be played in SA late next year. “Each one gets an opportunity to perform,” Bahutule said.

The first ODI provided India with one such opportunity, and Guwahati could bring more experimentation. Bahutule made it clear that India are not simply looking for their best eleven at this stage. Rather, they are trying to understand how different players fit into different roles.

The use of Nitish Kumar Reddy with the new ball was part of that exercise. “There are different bowlers who can bowl in different phases of the game,” he said. “During this series we will come across certain changes.” That could mean opportunities for players such as Gurnoor Brar, including the possibility of being asked to bowl with the new ball, Bahutule said.

The larger question is how India construct their pace attack for the World Cup. The immediate priority, however, is to gather enough evidence to make up a robust pool of players. “With the fast bowlers, it will be important to see who would actively be the three fast bowlers,” he said.

“Maybe a fourth seamer, an allrounder. That is yet to be seen. But ample opportunities will be given to all the bowlers to bowl in different phases.”