Monank Patel handed USA ODI captaincy

Monank Patel is set to replace Saurabh Netravalkar as the captain of USA's ODI team two months after the latter relinquished his T20I captaincy. The announcement was conveyed through a press release which failed to mention whether Netravalkar was stepping down voluntarily as in the case with his T20I captaincy in October.

According to some sources, selectors had been looking over Netravalkar's shoulder for quite some time now after a prolonged dismal showing in the World Cup League 2. It is therefore a matter of speculation whether Netravalkar himself asked the selectors to be relieved of his duties in the shorter format.

"I'm really proud to have represented USA as a leader for the priceless moments of qualifying division 3 in Oman, the historic feat of ODI status in Namibia which occupies a special place in my heart, multiple WCL triumphs in Florida, UAE, the Super50 wins against quality teams and so on over the last 3 years. This team is like my second family and we have come a long way from where we started" said Netravalkar to Cricbuzz after the appointment of Monank Patel as the ODI captain.

"As I transition to focus on my role primarily as a senior fast bowler in the team, I want to convey my best wishes and full support to Monank and Aaron and I'm confident all of us together will take this team forward as one family! It's my dream for us to play in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India and we'll do our best to achieve that".

Apart from Monank's ascent to the 50 over captaincy, the first-time inclusions of teenage sensation Rahul Jariwala (ODIs only), Vatsal Vaghela and Marty Kain headlined the squad announcement. Jariwala, a 17-year-old wicketkeeper-bat, top-scored in the recently concluded Men's National Championships with 251 runs in 4 games including 2 hundreds. Jariwala's induction is a story in itself - life has come full circle for him after a poor run of form in the selection tournament saw him missing out on a berth even in the USA U19 squad earlier in the year.

The selectors also decided to reward the 19-year-old left arm spinner Vatsal Vaghela for his exploits in the Minor League T20 where he topped the Western Conference bowling charts bagging 29 wickets in 17 games at a miserly rate of 5.5 rpo. Marty Kain, former first class player from New Zealand and middle order batter, also received a maiden call up to the national squad after a strong show in the MiCL and Men's National Championships with both bat and ball.

The inclusion of Ali Khan in the ODI squad after an absence of almost 3 years will be a major shot in the arm for USA after it is increasingly evident that Rusty Theron might have already played his last 50-over game for USA owing to fitness concerns. It is likely that Khan could come back to the USA fold full time with fresh national contracts likely being announced in January. The selectors have also restored their faith in fast bowler Jasdeep Singh who makes a comeback at the expense of the 39-year-old Elmore Hutchinson in both of the white ball squads. Ian Holland opted to pull out of both the squads owing to personal reasons.

While the selectors should receive a pat on their back for timely inclusions of youngsters Jariwala and Vaghela in the mix, they are guilty of playing musical chairs among a battalion of left-arm spinners currently in the USA mix. Young Sanjay Krishnamurthy who was rushed to Oman and debuted within hours of landing, finds no place in the ODI squad, as does Trinson Carmichael who has been shown the door after a few T20 appearances at the Americas T20 World Cup Qualifiers. Karima Gore's timely cameo against Canada might have salvaged his spot in the T20 squad but finds himself omitted from the ODI squad.

USA T20 International Series Squad (December 22nd - 23rd):Monank Patel (Captain), Aaron Jones (Vice-captain), Ali Khan, Gajanand Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Jaskaran Malhotra, Karima Gore, Marty Kain, Nisarg Patel, Rusty Theron, Saurabh Netravalkar, Steven Taylor, Vatsal Vaghela, Xavier Marshall, Reserve:Kyle Phillip

USA One Day International Series Squad (December 26th - 30th):Monank Patel (Captain), Aaron Jones (Vice-captain), Ali Khan, Gajanand Singh, Jaskaran Malhotra, Jasdeep Singh, Nisarg Patel, Nosthush Kenjige, Rahul Jariwala, Saurabh Netravalkar, Steven Taylor, Sushant Modani, Vatsal Vaghela, Xavier Marshall, Reserve:Kyle Phillip