Covid affected India’s ideal playing XI against the West Indies

(Cricket news) India will play the first ODI against West Indies on 6th February. The men in blue have had a Covid outbreak as Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shreyas Iyer were tested positive along with 3 members of staff and standby player Navdeep Saini. India will field the team with the limited options they have. Officially only Mayank Agarwal has been added to the squad but there are reports about Ishan Kishan entering the bio bubble as well. Vice captain KL Rahul is unavailable for the 1st game but will be back for the 2nd and the 3rd.

India's ideal playing XI:

Rohit Sharma – The opening batter is fit and will play his first game as India's permanent ODI captain. India did miss his presence in the South Africa series. Rohit Sharma will be very crucial at the top of the order even more now that he is the captain.

Mayank Agarwal – Shikhar Dhawan and Ruturaj Gaikwad who were the two openers in the squad have tested positive for COVID-19. Mayank Agarwal was called in as a replacement and should open the batting. There have been reports of Ishan Kishan being added to the squad but there is no confirmation while Agarwal's addition is official. KL Rahul is unavailable for the 1st game but will be back for the 2nd so it would be safe to assume that whoever out of Agarwal and Kishan play is likely to be given just one opportunity.

Virat Kohl i- Even though Virat Kohli is said to be out of form he scored two half centuries against South Africa. The standards that he has set for himself demand more from him. Kohli looked good in patches against the Proteas but not his usual self. It is important for India to get Kohli back to his best and this series will be a big tester for the same.

Rishabh Pant – The Gloveman played a very good knock in the 2nd ODI against South Africa but then threw his wicket away in the 3rd match. Pant has a point to prove that he can convert starts into big knocks and finish the games. He could be pushed down the order in this series to switch things up.

Suryakumar Yadav – After sitting out the first two games against South Africa, Yadav came in for the 3rd. Although he only got 39, he is one player who deserves more chances in the 50 over format. With Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul out of contention Yadav's place in the side is pretty much guaranteed.

Deepak Hooda – Deepak Hooda is all set to make his international debut. After a tough year where he was banned by his state team of Baroda, the all-rounder switched alliances and had a good season playing for Rajasthan. Hooda is likely to bat lower down the order and his off spin will also come in very handy as the 6th bowling option. 

Washington Sundar – Sundar is back in the squad and with Jadeja's absence he should be brought straight back into the side. There is a chance that India play with either Shardul Thakur or Deepak Chahar, Sundar is definitely a better fit. He is definitely a 10 over bowler and can bat higher up the order if needed.

Deepak Chahar – Chahar should be rewarded for his performance in the last ODI in South Africa. It will be difficult for both Chahar and Shardul Thakur to play in the side together because of their similar traits but Chahar should be given the edge.

Mohammed Siraj – Siraj didn't get a single game in South Africa but now that Jasprit Bumrah is rested and Bhuvneshwar Kumar dropped, Siraj is ahead in the pecking order while Avesh Khan is the other option. Siraj is on the right path to make himself an all format bowler.

Prasidh Krishna – Prasidh got a chance to play in the last ODI against the Proteas and picked up 3 wickets. His performance in his debut ODI series against England was also a good one. The seamer is surely one to watch in the ODI formats and can slowly turn himself into an all format bowler.

Yuzvendra Chahal – The wrist spinner position has a lot of competition with Kuldeep Yadav back in the squad and Ravi Bishnoi getting his maiden call-up. India should stick with Chahal and back him at least in this series. It is difficult to see Kul-Cha return to the side without a fast bowling all-rounder but Chahal on his own could be dangerous as well.

Bench – Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan.
 

Also read: Here's why the return of Kul-Cha is more complicated than it seems at this point

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