While the West Indies did not qualify for the ODI World Cup, Team India’s preparations for the tournament that they will host began in the Caribbean.
Following the conclusion of the Test series in Trinidad earlier this week, the West Indies’ focus will shift to the 50-over format. The West Indies will prepare to host India in the first of three one-day internationals (ODIs) at Bridgetown in Barbados. While the hosts narrowly missed out on qualification for this year’s ODI World Cup, preparations for the competition they will host begin here.
It is a crucial series as India prepares for the premier tournament in October. It is a decimated squad, with key players like Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant all out due to injuries. This means that the Indian lineup will be largely new, particularly in the middle order, and the players will need to start performing if they want to secure a place in the Asia Cup.
Rohit Sharma will captain the team and begin with Shubman Gill, who has already scored a double-century in his early career. This is likely to be the starting lineup for the World Cup, with Ishan Kishan serving as the backup.
Virat Kohli will undoubtedly occupy number three in what remains his best format, but he will be trying to get back into the rhythm in this format of the game, where he is unquestionably India’s most vital player. On a young team, his experience will be invaluable.
The middle order, from 4 to 6, is a source of concern. While Hardik Pandya is a must-start, especially if he can bowl some pace overs, Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson will be vying for a berth in the middle order. While Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul’s fitness has kept them out of this tour, their great numbers of 4 and 5, respectively, will make them favorites to retain their positions at the World Cup.
In this series, however, the middle order has plenty of options, with all three batters capable of holding down the inning if they come in early or scoring quickly if the top order provides a platform. Samson, in particular, will be looking for consistency, with Ishan Kishan vying for a spot in the middle order.
India will bat first in the ODI series, with Ravindra Jadeja at 7 and Shardul Thakur at 8. Axar had a wonderful tour in the Caribbean last year, but with a third proper seamer needed in Barbados, he may lose out to Shardul. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will compete for the frontline spinner spot, but Yuzvendra Chahal may get the nod ahead of Kuldeep, despite the latter’s improved defensive bowling in the previous IPL.
India will be concerned about pace bowling because neither Bumrah nor Mohammed Shami are available for this series. In the same way that Mohammed Siraj led an inexperienced pace attack in the Test series, his white-ball bowling will inspire Rohit Sharma. The struggle for second place will be between Jaydev Unadkat, Mukesh Kumar, and the young and fiery Umran Malik. This is the type of series in which India will want Umran to make an impression, which should earn him a start at the Kensington Oval.
Ishan Kishan delivered harsh realities about the ODI XI spot: ‘His position is not determined by his performance.
Team India will continue preparations for the home ODI World Cup on Thursday, when they face the West Indies in the first of three games in Barbados. The West Indies may have had a difficult month when they failed to qualify for this year’s flagship fifty-over competition, but they will look to give a serious challenge to Rohit Sharma’s side in home conditions. The Indian team will try to provide excellent results, but it has one major issue about its batting order that, if not addressed immediately, could come back to harm the team in the bigger competitions.
KL Rahul, India’s first-choice wicketkeeper, is out, and Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson are in the ODI team for the Windies tour. While Rahul and Samson have both batted in the middle order for India, Ishan has predominantly been an opener, and former India opener Aakash Chopra has warned that this could become a problem for the team in the future.
Chopra insisted on his own YouTube channel that the wicketkeepers on the team cannot have various batting positions because replacing them would be tough.
“If Rahul is still injured, Sanju Samson will step in.” Because there is space in the middle order but not in the opening order. Is Ishan Kishan capable of playing in the middle order? He could, but you haven’t yet played him there. I believe Ishan’s position is not contingent on his performance. “It depends on the team’s balance,” Chopra explained.
Regarding the batting order problem, Chopra remarked that Shubman Gill has more or less solidified his place as the team’s opener. While Shikhar Dhawan is no longer considered for national selection—he did not even make the Asian Games roster—the BCCI may have indicated that they had moved on from the great opener. Chopra believes that with skipper Rohit as Shubman’s partner, it will be difficult for Ishan Kishan to integrate into the side.
“If you’re selecting a backup keeper, he must bat in the same position as your first-choice keeper.” It’s a completely different story if he bats in a different position. For example, if KL Rahul is injured and unable to play, you have Ishan Kishan as a backup. Ishan, on the other hand, opens So he’ll play the opening part, and you’ll send Shubman Gill down? Or will Ishan bat in the middle order, knowing that you haven’t given him enough time in that position?” Chopra inquired.
“On the surface, Ishan Kishan appears to be the frontrunner for the third opener and second wicketkeeper positions, but when you think about it, your first choice is a middle-order batter.”
Thus, Rohit and the team management would attempt to resolve the situation in the Windies series. The three-ODI series in the Caribbean is India’s final bilateral assignment before the Asia Cup, which begins on August 30. However, India will host Australia in a three-match One-Day International series just before the World Cup.
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