(Cricket news) India lost the first ODI against New Zealand while the 2nd was rained out after just 13 overs. In the 3rd ODI the Kiwis were marching towards another comfortable victory but rain saved India. Even though this was India\’s \’B\’ team, the performance was a disappointing one. The batting was a massive let down while the bowling wasn\’t that great either.

India now play with a much stronger squad against Bangladesh in which anything less than a whitewash will not be good enough. India are playing the World Cup at home which automatically makes them favorites but there is a lot of work to be done in all departments. The good news is that India have a lot of ODI series to prepare before the mega tournament. 

One of the players who played well was Shreyas Iyer who scored 80 in the 1st ODI and 49 in the 2nd. The 50 over format is Iyer\’s strength and he will definitely be in the mix for the World Cup. He will be fighting for a place at number 5. Another player who played well was debutant Umran Malik who had a lot of eyes on him.

He proved that he can bowl searing pace even in tough New Zealand conditions. India needs to back him more so that he is ready by the time the World Cup comes. Washington Sundar had a good couple of innings with the bat playing cameos towards the end. He will be pushing for a place in the squad for the all-rounder role but both Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja will also be in contention.

The two best T20 performers Suryakumar Yadav and Arshdeep Singh were given a crack in the ODIs but both failed to impress. They might get another chance in the future but they will have to make the most of the limited opportunities because right now both are at the bottom of the pecking order. Rishabh Pant was criticized a lot for his performance in the T20I and ODI series but not all of it was justified. In his last ODI game against England he scored an incredible match winning hundred and deserves to be backed. 

Deepak Chahar didn\’t look fit while Shardul Thakur also failed to have an impact. Yuzvendra Chahal’s form is a big concern and the fact that he is not there for the Bangladesh series gives India a chance to try out combinations without him. Kuldeep Yadav who was sitting on the bench is also not a part of the Bangladesh series. With the new selection panel coming in, we might see a different approach to things for the Indian side.

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