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After all the uncertainty hovering around India vs West Indies ODI series due to the Covid-19 scare in the Indian camp, the ODI series is finally set to kick off at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (February 6). However, the ODI series will be played behind closed doors. The first ODI of the series will also mark India 1000th One Day International match and the man who will be leading the pack will be newly recruited white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma.
India and the West Indies will also take this ODI series as their preparations for next year’s World Cup. The hosts will, understandably, be the favourites from the off, but both teams have room for improvement, especially if they hope to dethrone England in 2023.
India head into this series after a dispiriting tour of South Africa. After Test successes in Australia and England, they were widely tipped to get the better of the Proteas away from home for the first time, but Dean Elgar’s men battled back from losing the first match to record a memorable series win. They then backed that up by whitewashing India in a three-match ODI series, a result that the Indian team can have few complaints about. They were fairly comprehensively outplayed.
The West Indies also recently suffered a significant white-ball reverse, losing a three-match series 2-1 on home turf to Ireland. The Irish do deserve great credit for their efforts, which were enough to catapult them into third place in the World Cup Super League, but it was a poor showing from the West Indies. They did, however, bounce back in their recent T20 series, edging out top-ranked side England 3-2 in a seesawing series that ended with Jason Holder taking four wickets in four balls to win it.
India have been struck by a covid-outbreak in their camp with Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan and Ruturaj Gaikwad all testing positive, as well as backup seamer Navdeep Saini. KL Rahul, who captained the side in South Africa will also miss the first game to attend his sister’s wedding. That will likely see Rohit Sharma, in his first match as captain, open the batting alongside Mayank Agarwal, drafted in as a replacement. Virat Kohli will be available, slotting in at his usual spot at number three.
Suryakumar Yadav looks likely to bat at four, with keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, in fine form in South Africa, in at five and all-rounder Deepak Hooda, now almost certain to debut, at six. Expect Washington Sundar to come in at seven, with Deepak Chahar likely to keep his place at eight after an impressive showing in India’s defeat in South Africa. Mohammad Siraj and Prasidh Krishna may well take the new ball, with Yuzvendra Chahal providing a further spin-bowling option.
"There's not much we need to change. On certain occasions, there will be situations where we will need to change our game. Being open to doing different things at different times is a requirement and it is a talk we have had. It's not like I need to come in and change things drastically. I will be giving the players the clarity of what is expected out of them," said Rohit in a pre-match press conference.
On further being pressed about the topic, Rohit said that India's win percentage in ODIs is over 70% over the last few years. The numbers, hence, suggest how good the team has been.
“Our ODI win percentage has been over 70% if I am not wrong. We have tried to speak to individuals about things that need to be done. It's not like you need to come in and copy other teams. We have a different setup, we play a certain way. I am open to changes in approach and have spoken to the guys about it. But, we can't change too many things,” he added.
West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard was clear that more was needed from the batting unit after their loss to Ireland. Shai Hope remains a fine player in this format and should return to the side after being dropped midway through the T20 series against England. There was no place in the squad for his most recent ODI partner Justin Greaves, with Brandon King likely in line to replace him. Keeper Nicholas Pooran will likely keep his spot at three having played his way into form against England.
Shamarh Brooks, probably the pick of the West Indian batters against Ireland, will be the next man in. The hard-hitting captain Kieron Pollard, himself not in the best form of his career, will come in at five, with Jason Holder in at six. Fabian Allen and Romario Shepherd may well slot in at seven and eight. Both men can hit a long ball. Odean Smith may also be in line to return to the side, with Akeal Hosein and Alzarri Joseph rounding out the XI.
India's Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna/Mohammad Siraj.
West Indies' Probable XI: Shai Hope (Wicketkeeper), Nkrumah Bonner/Brandon King, Shamarh Brooks, Darren Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard (Captain), Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd/Hayden Walsh Jr, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach.
