India’s ideal playing XI for the ODIs against West Indies

(Cricket news) After a stellar series win against England, India will now take on the West Indies in 3 ODIs. The big boys i.e Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli have been rested for the series. Shikhar Dhawan will be captaining the side while Ravindra Jadeja will be his deputy. This will be a great opportunity for some players to show what they have to offer in this format. The 3 ODIs will be played at the Queen's Park Oval. The selectors decision to rest the players especially Virat Kohli has been criticised but India still win the series and Kohli comes back fresh and starts scoring runs then it will prove to be a masterstroke.

India's ideal playing XI:

Openers: Shikhar Dhawan & Ruturaj Gaikwad

Dhawan will be playing all the games as captain. This will be an important series for him as this is the only format he plays and a good performance here will further solidify his place in the side. The options for the spot are Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan. Gaikwad has been waiting for his opportunity in this format for a very long time. His performances in the Vijay Hazare trophy definitely suggests that he deserves this opportunity. 

Wicketkeeper: Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan is very likely to play but his batting position is uncertain. He could open the batting or bat in the middle order. He is definitely more comfortable opening the batting but if India want him to be the backup for Pant then he will have to bat in the middle. Sanju Samson is another option for the role.

Middle order: Shreyas Iyer & Suryakumar Yadav

Shreyas Iyer was on the bench for all 3 ODIs against England and this will be a very good opportunity for him. Suryakumar Yadav on the other hand had an underwhelming ODI series against England after the spectacular hundred in the T20Is. These two are both fighting for a spot in the middle order which has a lot of competition. The batting order is something which will be interesting to see.

All-rounder: Deepak Hooda & Ravindra Jadeja

Deepak Hooda hasn't played a single match since his back to back incredible knocks against Ireland and England. He will be the batting all-rounder in the side who can bowl a few overs if necessary. Jadeja will be the proper all-rounder who is likely to bowl 10 overs which is something he didn't get to do against England. Jadeja could be promoted higher up the order to get more time in the middle and also to keep the left and right hand combination going if necessary. Axar Patel is the other option; pure batters Sanju Samson and Shubman Gill could play ahead of Hooda.

Seamers: Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj & Prasidh Krishna

Mohammed Siraj had a very good game in the last ODI against England. He is likely to retain his spot and so is Prasidh Krishna who has been brilliant in this format. Shardul Thakur hasn't played an ODI game since the South Africa series earlier this year. His prowess with the willow is a great asset to have at number 8. Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan are the other options.

Spinner: Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal is the only pure spinner in the squad and he has been in incredible form. There is a chance that India could go with a seam bowler considering Deepak Hooda offers a little bit of spin and Hardik Pandya is not present. Chahal however has proved over time that he is a game changer in the middle overs. He will be very crucial for India.

Bench: Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh

Also read: Dissecting Ben Stokes' decision to retire from ODIs

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