Guwahati, May 19 (IANS) Chief selector Ajit Agarkar on Tuesday said the inclusion of Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav in India’s ODI squad for the three-match series against Afghanistan was a conscious move to test promising youngsters, keeping in mind the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup, to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

Prince bagged 18 wickets in eight matches for Delhi in the 2025/26 Vijay Hazare Trophy at an average of 19.27. He ended up as the side’s leading wicket-taker and the fifth-highest wicket-taker overall in the 50-over competition.

Gurnoor, who also earned a call-up to the Test team for the one-off match in New Chandigarh and has been a regular in the India ‘A’ team, picked up 11 wickets in eight matches in the same tournament.

Though Gurnoor hasn’t played an IPL 2026 game yet for the Gujarat Titans, Prince has continued his impressive show by picking 16 scalps for Lucknow Super Giants. With no Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Harshit Rana due to workload management and injuries, Gurnoor and Prince have got their chances to be in the 50-over India set-up.

“I mean, this was a good opportunity. There have been a couple of injuries around, and we have not picked Bumrah for this team. There are a couple of guys who are injured and who were part of the one-day squad before. With Gurnoor, we have seen a lot of promise over the last season and a half, now a tall guy with a bit of pace.

“Again, keeping the South African (ODI) World Cup in mind, we are obviously going to try a few guys who at that point might be useful if they keep developing. Prince Yadav has shown a lot of promise through the domestic season. I think he had a really good Vijay Hazare Trophy. Obviously, he has bowled well in the IPL. But we have seen that he has grown a lot as a bowler over the last year or so. Again, has the necessary skills to succeed with the white ball.

“So, it’s a great opportunity with these three one-day games coming up because with the way the rules are structured and so much is in favour of the batsmen, you are obviously looking at guys with regard to conditions in South Africa who have a chance of succeeding. There might be a few more we try over the course of the next few series, and these two are the ones that we have zeroed in on at this point,” Agarkar said, while replying to a question from IANS, in a virtual press conference on Tuesday.

Left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey has been given a call‑up to both ODI and Test teams, after being a regular in the India ‘A’ team and playing a huge hand in Vidarbha winning the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy and captaining the side to winning the 2025/26 Vijay Hazare Trophy.

On his call-up, Agarkar added, “I mean, that’s the role we are looking at anyway. With the Test team, you can see that there is a lot of transition happening at this point. So, we are looking at options. Obviously, there have been a couple of players who have moved away from Test cricket.

“In one-day cricket, it’s the same thing – you want guys who can contribute with the bat down the order. But also have the necessary skill to be a frontline spinner or a frontline seam bowler. We think he certainly fits the bill, and we are hopeful that when he gets that opportunity, he will show what he can do.

“He has shown it aplenty in domestic cricket, and we have seen enough over the last couple of years, maybe a little bit more, that he seems to have the necessary skill to succeed at this level.”

Agarkar also clarified that teenage left-handed opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will continue to gain exposure with the India A side, with him set to play in the 50-over tri-series in Sri Lanka, to be played from June 9-21.

“I mean, we have picked him for the A team. Again, someone so young and obviously showing so much promise. You keep trying to give them wherever you can and let them gain that experience and give them the exposure. Let’s not forget there is a Yashasvi Jaiswal who is not part of the one-day set-up.

“He has just got a hundred last time he played for India against South Africa. So, as impressive as Sooryavanshi has been, there are other guys who have done as well for India. So, look, we are very excited with what he has been doing in the IPL, and hopefully, he shows a bit of that when he travels with the A team.”

–IANS

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