Long rope for struggling paceman Ishant Sharma

Chandigarh, Oct 21: After India lost the third one-dayer against Australia on Saturday after being in the driver's seat, skipper MS Dhoni vented his frustration at the post-match press conference and said, "The individuals will have to step up. You can't spoon-feed bowlers at the international level." He also added, "I think the last few overs were disappointing, it is an area of concern and it is getting worse."

With 'Captain Cool' fuming, many thought there would be a change in personnel for the final four ODIs in the series, especially in the fast bowling department. The player whose position in the team looked most shaky was Ishant Sharma who was smashed for 30 runs in an over by James Faulkner, a match-turning over.

However, the selection panel has decided to retain the same squad for the rest of the series. The BCCI tweeted an unchanged 15-member squad, which means Ishant may get another chance to redeem himself.

The selection was not a big surprise if one recalls what Dhoni had to say on Saturday. "The bowlers who are waiting in wings, they can wait a bit more. Once somebody goes out of the side, tendency is that they are forgotten, they keep talking about new bowler. I always feel that people who are in the side should be given the rope, does not matter if he is a bowler or a batsman," the Indian captain said. "If it is a selection matter, I will discuss it with the selectors and not at a press conference. If you base everything on one or two games, the whole team will have to be changed. One can't drop a player on the basis of one off day."

However, how long will be the rope? Ishant, who has played 51 Tests and 68 one-dayers so far, has an average of 37.99 in the longer version of the game and 32.36 in ODIs while his economy rate is close to six in ODIs. As far as strike-rate is concerned, the lanky medium-pacer picks a wicket every 69 balls in Tests and takes nearly six overs to scalp a victim in the 50-over version!

While there is no questioning Ishant's talent, his inconsistency and lack of adaptability for an experienced bowler cannot be ignored. While Faulkner batted brilliantly and took the game away from India, Ishant only made it easier for him. Where were the yorkers, the slower ones, the cutters, the variety? Vinay Kumar too hasn't looked the part in the series so far and has proved easy fodder for the Australians.

Says former Indian medium-pacer Chetan Sharma: "Ishant, over the last three years, hasn't set the world on fire. There are several other talented fast bowlers in the country, in fact even in this squad who should be given a chance now. Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma should be given a chance. We need to build a pool of good fast bowlers for the 2015 World Cup," he added.

The other pace options in squad, apart from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Vinay Kumar, are Mohammad Shami and Jaydev Unadkat. Other than the two pacers, Amit Mishra, who was the highest wicket-taker in the five-match ODI series against Zimbabwe with 18 wickets, is also sitting out.

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Amit Mishra, Ambati Rayudu, Mohammad Shami, Jaydev Unadkat.