Ind vs WI 1st ODI Preview: India Look To Fix World Cup Flaws as they compete in ODIs

Mumbai: After ensuring a 3-0 whitewash against the West Indies, India will be looking to clinch the three-match ODI series 3-0. The first match starts on Thursday at the Providence Stadium. After getting knocked out of the 2019 World Cup, India will be hoping to address their middle-order woes as they face the Caribbeans for a three-match ODI series.

Shikhar Dhawan will be making a comeback to the ODI format after injury struck him out of the 2019 World Cup. He will open the innings alongside Rohit Sharma after a solid performance at the start of this year’s World Cup. KL Rahul will drop down to number four position.

Now comes the middle-order part, which has troubled the team for quite some time now. Rishabh Pant will come in at number five or six, depending upon the situation. He is most likely to retain his spot after playing splendidly in the third match of the T20I series against West Indies.

Another dilemma that will be faced is between Manish Pandey and Shreyas Iyer. Both have proven their talent on big stages. Manish Pandey was given a chance to play in all the three T20Is, but he could not stand up to it. So it’s time for the management to give Shreyas Iyer a go at it.

Ravindra Jadeja would be rearing for a chance to prove himself after impressing with the bat and ball as well as his fielding. Kedar Jadhav’s lacklustre form would bolster Jadeja’s chance of entering the team.

The spin attack would consist of either Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal as Jadeja would already form the other half of the attack. Both Yadav and Chahal have managed to impress over the years and it would be a major headache for the team management in choosing either one of them.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar will spearhead the pace attack and Mohammed Shami would play a supporting role to him. There is also a chance that Bhuvneshwar might be rested after playing three T20Is within a week. If this is the case then Navdeep Saini will most likely be making his ODI debut.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be hoping to continue their golden form in ODIs from the recently concluded World Cup.

In the West Indies camp, everyone will be hoping for a terrific return of their talisman, Chris Gayle. After being overawed by India in the shortest format, they will be hoping that their openers give a good enough start for the rest of the team to build upon.

They will also be hoping to give the Universe Boss aka Chris Gayle the farewell that he deserves. Gayle had earlier announced that the home series against India will be his last.

Opener John Campbell and Roston Chase have both been recalled and Captain James Holder will be hoping that they add a lot to the squad. Even all-rounder Keemo Paul has been recalled to the squad.

The first match of the three-match ODI series will take place today at the Guyana National Stadium and will start at 7 PM IST. The second and third match will take place on August 11 and 14 at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.

Probable teams:

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, Manish Pandey/Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Navdeep Saini/Khaleel Ahmed

West Indies: Evin Lewis/John Campbell, Chris Gayle, Shai Hope (wk), Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Carlos Brathwaite, Jason Holder (c), Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas, Kemar Roach