Ishan Kishan Out? Players Who Can Be Removed From India's 2027 World Cup Plans

Ishan Kishan failed in the England ODI series [Source: AFP]

India was supposed to dominate the UK tour, but the team won just one out of 10 matches as they lost against Ireland in the T20Is, followed by defeats against England in the T20Is and the ODI series. Historically, the ODIs have been India’s best format, but the team crumbled and lost 1-2.

Barring Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and a bit of Shreyas Iyer, none of the Indian players stood tall as England thrashed them in successive ODIs to seal the series.

Neither the batting clicked nor the bowling looked effective, as the hosts took advantage and India failed to deliver the goods on the UK tour. After the defeat, several Indian players are already on the firing line, and here are players who can be removed from the ODIs after the England loss.

1) Shivam Dube

Shivam Dube was brought into the ODI setup as a replacement for the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy, and the all-rounder was given just one match to prove his worth, but he couldn’t grab the opportunity and was also dropped from the final ODI game.

In the only ODI match he played on the tour, Dube was dismissed for a duck, and with the ball, the right-arm seamer was utilised for only 6 overs, as the Indian captain showed little trust in his bowling.

Dube has never been in the scheme of things for India in the ODIs, and only after an injury to NKR was he introduced to the team. Now, if Hardik Pandya and Nitish Reddy return for the next ODI series against the West Indies, India will already have two all-rounders, and there won’t be any room to accommodate Dube.

He was always a temporary solution to the all-rounders’ woes, and he could be out of the ODI squad if Hardik and NKR are fit.

2) Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan has an ODI average of 42.57, but the stats don’t reveal the reality. Before the England ODIs, Kishan had only played 50-over matches in Asian and West Indian conditions, but on his maiden UK tour, he was exposed as a batter.

(Ishan Kishan ODI stats on England tour)

• In 2 innings, Kishan scored just 15 runs, with an average of 7.50, and a strike rate of 75. He struggled against the moving ball, and in the final ODI, Kishan couldn’t even take down the spinners.

Also Read: First Ireland, Then England: UK Tour Leaves India With More Questions Than Answers

• In the second ODI game, the England bowlers peppered him with bouncers, and this gave him a reality check. The World Cup 2027 will be played on bouncy South African wickets, and Kishan might not have the suitable technique to play on those wickets.

3) Gurnoor Brar

Gurnoor Brar is a promising bowler, but maybe he is not meant for ODIs, and the three-match series against England showed him the mirror. He was expensive, and the English batters loved toying with him.

The pacer was wayward with his lines and lengths, and in the third ODI, he became the Indian bowler to bowl the third most expensive spell in an ODI innings.

(Gurnoor Brar vs England)

• Yes, he took 4 wickets, but the economy rate was 7.76, which is certainly not acceptable in an ODI format. He conceded 61, 67, and 97 runs in the three ODI matches, and was the favourite of the English batters as they punished him throughout the series.
• For the 2027 World Cup, India has Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna, and the team should also look at someone like Mohammed Siraj, who has done well in the ODIs. Gurnoor falls well behind the pecking order, and keeping in mind the World Cup, the selectors could take a harsh call.

Also Read: Rohit Sharma Comes Clean To BCCI Amid World Cup 2027 Uncertainty