No Indian in ICC Men's ODI Team of 2024, but 3 Pakistanis, 4 Lankans make it

The ODI Men's Team of the Year 2024, announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday, should hurt Indian fans. While not a single player from India has made the squad, 10 Asians, including seven neighbours, have made the list.

Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka was named skipper of the ICC team, while three of his teammates, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis and Wanindu Hasaranga, are also part of the team. Three Pakistanis, namely Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, and three from Afghanistan, namely Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Azmatullah Omarzai and A M Ghazanfar, are in the XI. West Indies' Sherfane Rutherford is the only non-Asian in the team.

Indian men only played three ODIs in 2024, which were part of a series in Sri Lanka. India lost the series 2-0 with the first match tied. India had toured Lanka with a strong side, comprising captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer among others. Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh led the pace attack. Rohit was the best the touring batters, with two fifties.

Sri Lanka's Asalanka had a good 2024, scoring 605 runs from 16 ODIs at an average of 50.2. He hit a century and four fifties as Lanka won 12 of the 18 ODIs played last year. Pakistan picked up seven victories from nine ODIs, while Afghanistan won eight of their 14 matches.

India, however, have a chance to make a good early impression in the ODI format this year as they have three 50-over matches lined up against visiting England before setting out to play the Champions Trophy (ODI format) in the UAE.

ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year for 2024: Charith Asalanka (C) (Sri Lanka), Saim Ayub (Pakistan), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan), Pathum Nissanka (Sri Lanka), Kusal Mendis (WK) (Sri Lanka), Sherfane Rutherford (West Indies), Azmatullah Omarzai (Afghanistan), Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan), Haris Rauf (Pakistan), AM Ghazanfar (Afghanistan).