WI vs IND: India's Predicted Playing XI for first ODI

India is all set to take on West Indies in three-match ODI series starting from the 22nd of July at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain. Shikhar Dhawan will lead the Indian side in absence of big names like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah, who all are rested. However, the youngsters will get their chances and they will be looking to grab them with the T20 World Cup coming up.

India are coming off a 2-1 ODI series victory against England and will fancy beating West Indies given their recent form. With a number of match-winners in the lineup, India is expected to whitewash the Nicholas Pooran-led side. West Indies recently lost the ODI series 3-0 at home to Bangladesh and are desperate to get back to winning ways.

Let’s look at India’s probable playing XI for the 1st ODI against West Indies:

Openers – Shikhar Dhawan (c), Ishan Kishan (wk)

Shikhar Dhawan has been named the Indian skipper for the three ODIs and this will be a great opportunity for him to make a statement. The 36-year-old is approaching the final stages of his international career and was axed from the T20I squads despite his consistent form in IPL. The left-hander led India in white-ball games in Sri Lanka last year and he will be eyeing to score big in the series.

Ishan Kishan has been in fine form in the last few months right from the home series against South Africa, and he is expected to partner Dhawan at the top of the order. The 24-year-old has played just three ODIs so far, scoring 88 runs with a fifty to his name. A good performance in the ODIs will push his chances above for the backup opener slot in the Indian side for the T20 World Cup.

Middle Order – Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson

Shreyas Iyer hasn’t had many chances in the limited0overs series in England and he was peppered with short balls in both the innings of the one-off Test against England. With Virat Kohli being rested, Iyer will have a big chance to seal his spot in the playing XI.

Suryakumar Yadav has been in terrific form with his recent century in England T20Is and he is expected to take up the No. 4 position. The right-hander has played 10 ODIs and has been impressive whenever he has been handed a chance. He looks a certainty for the T20 World Cup, however, he will have to keep his good form going to solidify his spot in the ODIs.

Sanju Samson will be looking to catch on to the good form he showed in the Ireland T20Is. With the regular names returning for the England series, Samson was dropped from the squad. However, he will now be back in action in the West Indies series. He has played just one ODI so far where he scored 46, against Sri Lanka

All Rounders – Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur

In the absence of Hardik Pandya, Deepak Hooda is expected to play the all-rounder role for the Indian side. The right-hander brought up his maiden international century in the Ireland T20Is but has played just two ODIs so far. He has the calmness to finish off games and can bowl some handy off-spin too.

Ravindra Jadeja will slot in at No. 7 and will play a dual role with both bat and ball. The left-hander recently played in the ODIs against England and looked in good touch, especially with the bat. He will also be the vice-captain of the side on account of his immense experience in the format now.

Shardul Thakur was benched for the ODIs against England but is expected to take his place against West Indies. The right-arm seamer did not have the best of times in the one-off Test and he will need to pull up his socks soon. He has got the knack of picking up wickets in the middle overs and is handy with the bat down the order.

Bowlers – Prasidh Krishna, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Prasidh Krishna has been outstanding in the last couple of years. The 26-year-old has the ability to clock high speeds consistently and he has taken 20 wickets in 10 ODIs at an average of 21.4. He is likely to be the first-choice fast bowler in the playing XI among the quicks for the ODIs.

Mohammad Siraj played the final ODI against England and he picked up two big wickets with the new ball. He does go for runs at the back end of the innings but is quite lethal in the powerplay. This will be a great chance for Siraj to regain his form with the ball which has taken a hit in the last few months.

Yuzvendra Chahal has continued his excellent form throughout the limited-overs series for India since the IPL and he remains the vital cog in the Indian bowling attack. The leg-spinner has been in good form in recent times and has bowled in different phases of the game to help the side.