Five unlucky players who deserves a place in India's ODI squad for the series against South Africa

India's ODI squad for the three-match ODI series against South Africa was announced on October 2. As expected, the first-choice players have been rested. After all, those players will fly to Australia for the 20-20 World Cup 2022, starting on October 16. The Men In Blue will play their last T20I on October 4 before flying Down Under. Talking about the ODI series, it will start on October 6 and conclude five days later.

Talking about the team, Shikhar Dhawan will lead the side which was expected given the dynamics of the team and schedule. Some players have gotten maiden call-ups in the national side after years of hard work in domestic cricket. On the other hand, some players who missed out on the World Cup ticket will also feature in the series. Meanwhile, in this listicle, we will have at the five players who could have made it.

Five unlucky players to miss out

Prithvi Shaw ( Image Credit: Twitter)

1. Prithvi Shaw

The 2018 U19 World Cup-winning skipper has been left out of the squad. Recently, he was the third-highest run-getter in the Duleep trophy. In the two games he played, he scored 315 runs at an average of 105 and a notably strike rate of 92.92.

A strike rate like this can easily fetch a place in any ODI team. However, for some unexplained reasons, he has been omitted from the squad. He last played an ODI game in July 2021. 

Umran Malik (Image Credit: Twitter)

2. Umran Malik

The tearaway pacer played in the series against South Africa, Ireland, and England a few months back. Before the series against the Proteas and Ireland, most of the senior players were rested. This was the reason Malik got a chance in the team.

The same scenario is at play ahead of the ODIs against the Proteas. However, the Jammu and Kashmir player hasn't been considered for the series. The right-arm pacer has played three T20Is so far. 

Mohsin Khan (Image Credit: BCCI/IPL)

3. Mohsin Khan

The tall and bulky pacer was one of the finds of the Indian T20 League 2022. During the season, he picked 14 wickets in nine games. With the Indian selectors picking fringe players, he might have been one of them.

Deepak Chahar, who is part of the 20-20 World Cup 2022 side, might have been sent straight to Australia alongside the team. His services might be needed during the tournament if any untoward event happens during the tournament. 

Sarfaraz Khan (Source: Twitter)

4. Sarfaraz Khan

The selectors have included players such as Rajat Patidar, Shubhman Gill, and Rahul Tripathi who are predominantly top-order batters. In the middle order, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan are the only two proper batters. One of the top-order batters might not play a game in the series.

This is the reason Sarfaraz Khan might have been a good option given his form in first-class cricket. Currently, the team might have to fill some of the middle-order slots with either top-order batters or all-rounders. 

Mukesh Choudhary (Source: BCCI/IPL)

5. Mukesh Chowdhary

The left-arm pacer was one of the finds during the second half of the Indian T20 League 2022. In the first half, he struggled but he came back well in the next half. However, he finds himself ignored from the selection.

Avesh Khan, who is one of the members of the squad, didn't have the greatest of form in the June to August period. He has the tendency to leak runs. However, he has been persisted with for the upcoming series.