Indian players celebrate after taking a wicket in an ODI match
Highlights
- India will play three-match ODI series against West Indies in Ahmedabad.
- Rohit Sharma's India is slated to play the first ODI against Windies on February 6, Sunday.
The historic day for Indian cricket- becoming the first country to play 1000 ODIs, hasn't come in bright colours as Covid-19 has struck the Indian team. The Men in Blue have been engulfed in the Covid storm where openers Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad and the middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer have fallen prey to the infection. With the white-ball vice-captain KL Rahul unavailable for the ODI series opener on Sunday, the hosts are in a fix in regard to their opening pair. The opening partner alongside skipper Rohit Sharma is yet to be ascertained which currently has the toss-up between Mayank Agarwal and Ishan Kishan. The duo was added later into the squad after Covid jolted the Indian team.
In the absence of the key openers (Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad) earlier drafted for the 50-over series, the opening conundrum looms large before the Indian team ahead of the first ODI against Windies. For the right-handed Karnataka player- Agarwal, the three-day quarantine will end only on Sunday morning i.e the match day. In case Mayank makes it to the playing XI, he will have to straightaway play a match without practice.
For Ishan Kishan, his already set chemistry with Rohit Sharma as the opening pair for Mumbai Indians could come as a plus. Besides, the left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman is already training with the team, having been part of the bubble due to his involvement with the T20I team.
As Mayank has a better resolve and patience as depicted in the Tests, for the 50-over game he has an edge over Kishan. Also, his exhibition of fine performance especially at the home turf might make him a first choice opener alongside Rohit.
With Virat Kohli at the number 3 spot and in the absence of Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar is all likely for the number four position. The wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant would occupy the fifth spot.
The history is a witness to the fact that Ahmedabad is a turning turf that would offer much assistance to the spinners than the pacers. India is all likely to go with three spinners- Washington Sundar as the all-rounder alongside Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. For the pace battery, Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan could come in as specialized pacers alongside Deepak Chahar who can contribute well with both bat and ball.
India's probable XI vs West Indies for 1st ODI
Rohit Sharma (c)
Mayank Agarwal
Virat Kohli
Suryakumar Yadav
Rishabh Pant
Washington Sundar
Deepak Chahar
Kuldeep Yadav
Mohammed Siraj
Avesh Khan
Yuzvendra Chahal
