India squad for West Indies tour 2019: The Sportsrush present before you India’s probable ODI squad for the imminent tour of West Indies.
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Despite India finishing as the top-ranked team in the league stage of the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, their campaign was questioned because of them not playing well enough to win the final match and eventually the trophy.
With the next World Cup four years away, India have enough time to build a team which will provide them a better chance of lifting the trophy. At this crucial juncture, they have to identify adept batsmen to play in the middle-order.
While former India captain and wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni hasn’t given any hint on his retirement, one doesn’t think he will continue till the next World Cup. His place will undoubtedly remain in discussion tomorrow as the Indian selectors will meet to announce the squads for the upcoming tour of West Indies.
India squad for West Indies tour 2019
Going by the recent reports in the build-up to the selection, Indian selectors are likely to announce a full-strength squad tomorrow. While opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan was injured during the World Cup, the exact status of his injury will be known tomorrow.
If Dhawan regains fitness, expect him to replace Mayank Agarwal in the squad. Else, expect Agarwal to make his ODI debut at some point in the tournament. Captain Virat Kohli and his deputy Rohit Sharma will continue to comprise of a formidable top-order.
Another report which is doing the rounds is regarding Dhoni wanting to serve army for the next two months. If the same happens, expect Shreyas Iyer being recalled into the squad to play in the middle-order. India have the option of adjusting Agarwal in place of Dhoni but they shouldn’t throw another opening batsman in the middle-order to make things worse for him.
There’s a general opinion regarding all-rounder Kedar Jadhav and middle-order batsman Dinesh Karthik getting dropped primarily due to their age. Citing the amount of chances the duo received in the World Cup, there aren’t many reasons to drop them.
Among the bowlers, expect the pair of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami to be rested. While Khaleel Ahmed looks set to make a comeback, expect one out of Navdeep Saini or Deepak Chahar to make the cut to the ODI team.
Predicted 15-member ODI squad
Shikhar Dhawan / Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Navdeep Saini / Deepak Chahar.
If the Indian selectors end up dropping any one out of Karthik or Jadhav, expect the likes of Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey or Shubman Gill getting a recall into the ODI side.
