India vs West Indies ODI Series Preview

After a disappointing clean sweep in the ODI’s against South Africa, India will want to get their white-ball fortunes back on track in the upcoming home series against the West Indies. The Men in Blue take on Kieron Pollard’s side in three ODI’s at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, and the hosts welcome the return of Rohit Sharma to the team after the opener missed out the tour to South Africa due to a hamstring injury. 

While Rohit returns to lead the ODI side for the first time since being appointed the full-time captain, India have suffered a slight setback in the lead up to this series due to a minor Covid outbreak in their squad. Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer and Navdeep Saini (reserve bowler) are amongst the seven positive cases recorded in the Indian camp, and all three batters are likely to miss the entire series due to the isolation rules.

Despite the various absentees, India start the three-match series as favourites, but there are plenty of issues for Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid to address as the hosts work towards the 2023 home World Cup. Most notably, the Men in Blue need to solve their bowling woes as India have struggled to pick up wickets with the new ball in the powerplay, as seen in the latest series against South Africa.

With Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami rested and Bhuvneshwar Kumar dropped, India will field a new-look pace attack for this series, allowing Rohit Sharma to try different fast-bowling combinations and find a potential long-term partner for Jasprit Bumrah with the new ball.

Players to watch out for

Ravi Bishnoi

Ravi Bishnoi received his maiden callup to the India squad for the white-ball series against the West Indies after the 21-year-old leg spinner impressed heavily during the IPL for the Punjab Kings. Bishnoi has picked up 24 wickets in 23 IPL matches at an economy of 6.9, and his flatter, faster trajectory mixed with high usage of googlies could make him a more aggressive wicket-taking option through the middle overs. 

Kemar Roach

The West Indies have recalled fast-bowler Kemar Roach to the side for the three-match ODI series in India. The veteran pacer hasn’t played for the West Indies in the 50-over format since August 2019, but the Barbadian boasts a formidable record in ODI’s for the Men in Maroon, picking up 124 wickets in 92 matches. 

Team News

Considering the various Covid absentees in the squad, India’s team picks itself for the first ODI with only five specialist batters available for selection. Mayank Agarwal was added to the squad as a result of the Covid outbreak and the Karnataka batter is likely to open the batting alongside Rohit Sharma, with Deepak Hooda also in line to make his India debut in the middle order.

Probable XI’s

India: Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj

West Indies: Brandon King, Shai Hope, Nicholas Pooran, Shamarh Brooks, Kieron Pollard, Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Akeal Hosein, Kemar Roach, Romario Shepherd, Alzarri Joseph