IGNORE: Don’t pick Mandeep, J Yadav and Devcich in your fantasy teams for IND v NZ ODIs

THE MEN IN BLUE will take on the Kiwis in the opening game of the five-match ODI series in Dharamsala today and although the Indian team will be the favourites to repeat their Test heroics, one cannot overlook the threat of the visitors in the limited overs format. 

As you are aware, marquee Indian spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been rested for the first three ODIs, but the fans will be delighted to see skipper MS Dhoni back in the mix. On the other hand, the Kiwis haven’t made too many changes to their squad. 

Onto fantasy cricket, we have already mentioned about our picks for the captaincy role. Furthermore, there will be a few dark horses such as Ajinkya Rahane, Luke Ronchi and Amit Mishra who might turn out to be the match-winners, but we would suggest that you stay away from a few not so renowned names in the series. 

Jayant Yadav- He is yet to make his debut for India in any format, and although he has done extremely well in the domestic circuit lately, we don’t see him being a part of the playing 11. However, the off-spinner impressed one and all in the IPL this year playing for the Delhi Daredevils. Ahead of him, we feel experienced spinners Amit Mishra and Axar Patel will be given the nod to take the field. Also, once Ashwin and Jadeja come back into the fray, he might be completely ignored from the bench too. 

Mandeep Singh- The Punjab batsman is yet to make his debut for India in the ODIs and Tests, but was a part of the T20 side that visited Zimbabwe in June. In three games, Mandeep scored 4, 52*, 31 and impressed with his stroke-play. The 24-year-old was also amongst the runs in the recently concluded India-A tour of Australia. He has also been an attacking batsman for the RCB and earlier KXIP in the IPL. Despite his attacking nature, we don’t think he will find a place ahead of Manish Pandey in the playing 11. Even if the management thinks otherwise, he is likely to be slotted down the order. Again, not a bright prospect. 

Anton Devcich- The Kiwi is more renowned for this recent exploits in the T20 leagues across the world. He has earned the reputation for being unorthodox but was one of the stars in the recently concluded CPL in the West Indies. Besides his aggressive approach with the bat, he is also seen as a partnership breaker with the ball. The Kiwis won’t hesitate from giving him a chance, but we are not convinced about him having any impact on this series. 

Rather than wasting your limited budget in fantasy cricket on these fringe players, we would advise you to pick someone who is guaranteed of a spot in the playing 11. They might be cheaply priced across portals, but you would be taking a massive risk for very little reward. 
 

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