The regulars in the team have been playing non-stop for quite some time. Following a long home season in 2016/17 which saw as many as 13 Tests and 11 white ball games, the established players went on to participate in the Indian Premier League for the better part of April and May. For those who play all three formats, the calendar has been a particularly demanding one.
The frontline batsmen and first-choice bowlers need some time to rejuvenate themselves before the grind begins again. According to the Future Tours Program (FTP), India embark on a full tour to Sri Lanka for three Tests, five ODIs and a one-off T20I after the West Indies trip. A brief break could go a long way in maintaining the intensity for the challenges ahead.
As per the ICC ODI rankings, India’s top two bowlers are Axar Patel (at 11[sup]th[/sup]) and Amit Mishra (at 13[sup]th[/sup]). However, neither of them are playing in the Champions Trophy. Rightly so, the selectors opted for the experienced duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Factoring in the stiff competition for places in the team, the West Indies tour provides a platform to test the bench strength.
Batsmen such as Dinesh Karthik, Manish Pandey and Ambati Rayudu are seeking chances to showcase their skills. Considering the amount of cricket that India usually plays in every season, it becomes imperative for the team management to hone in on adequate back-ups in every department of the game.
Oh boy India must have a special pooja for the boys ! ::LOL::
[quote author=CHAIRMAN link=topic=109971.msg738664#msg738664 date=1496585733]
Things not going well for Pakistan. Miss fields, dropped catches and now
their most economical bowler is off the field
[/quote]
India may consider doing this because it's the West Indies that is involve and the West Indies performance level over many years which does not give it deal of influence when it comes to bargaining. If it were teams like Australia, England, or South Africa, India would not be considering this move. Maybe it's all good that the second rate team would be competing with the West Indies, probably the West indies could be able be a bit more competitive.
[quote author=The Captain link=topic=109966.msg738775#msg738775 date=1496669747]
if this happens WI should play their C side
[/quote]
di'ze a nice bright idea. CWI is a C side. to get a third CWI side wud be like going an' get Laventille or Chinapoo united United to play India B..a Grey Nichols died..fourth class competitive cricket....
