The presence of Rohit Sharma as the new leader, with a new template to prevent the familiar ‘middle-order mess’, is exactly what the Indian team needs when ushering in a new era, starting with ODI series against West IndiesStarting from Sunday in Ahmedabad.
Afterwards A harsh reality check against the vulnerable South African side In the away series, India are now back in familiar settings with a new ODI captain in the form of Rohit, who will team up with the brilliant Rahul Dravid to try to put India on a winning track.
The series-opener marks the historic 1000th ODI for India, which are looking to begin their preparations for the 2023 World Cup after failing to win the coveted trophies in 2015 and 2019, and the team will really look at a change in strategy.
Over the next few months, the ‘Rohit-Dravid’ duo would underline the ‘Men in Blue’ philosophy in the 50-over format, as it became clear that some tweaking was needed as a part of course correction.
Thus, the series starting Sunday would be a perfect platform to focus on getting their struggling middle order right.
Firstly, skipper Rohit, one of the finest exponents of the white ball, will have to lead from the front.
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With KL Rahul unavailable in the first game, and other specialist openers Shikhar Dhawan and Ruturaj Gaikwad both testing COVID-19 positive, it is likely that Mayank Agarwal, who was included in the squad, along with Rohit Will open
However whether Agarwal will be thrown straight into the match without a training session due to quarantine is another question, especially when Ishan Kishan is also in the mix.
Rohit can attack any scavengers on his day and West Indies, rather inexperienced, will be no exception to Mayank.
In the series against South Africa, barring Rishabh Pant’s knock in the second game, the middle order broke down on all three occasions and the need of the hour was to have impressive players.
With Shreyas Iyer not available for the series, aggressive Suryakumar Yadav and the equally formidable Deepak Hooda have a chance to impress the national selectors, who did well in the last Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Apart from the two, a lot will depend on how Virat Kohli performs.
India had tried rookie Venkatesh Iyer in an unfamiliar middle-order position in South Africa, but the experiment did not work.
In terms of bowling, Kuldeep Yadav, a left-arm wrist spinner, is back in the ODI squad, and will likely be in the playing XI along with his experienced teammate Yuzvendra Chahal.
Kuldeep, 27, played his last ODI against Sri Lanka in July 2021 and had recently recovered after a surgery.
But the team management has roped in young Jodhpur-born googly bowler Ravi Bishnoi in the squad, and it will be interesting to see if he gets a game right away.
In the absence of key pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, the bowling unit is expected to be led by ‘Palghar Express’ Shardul Thakur, who shone in the Johannesburg Test against South Africa.
This is the best opportunity for Thakur, whose bat was performed in the ODI series against the Proteas, to cement his place in the team.
Also, with him, the series offers young bowlers like Mohammad Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Pranali Krishna and Avesh Khan a chance to claim a standing ovation with two years remaining for the World Cup.
Meanwhile, West Indies will come into context after boosting their confidence of winning the T20 series over England, though the format is entirely different.
The Caribbean side has power-hitter Nicholas Pooran, who can turn the game on its head. He will also try to impress the franchise ahead of the IPL auction.
However he will need the support of others.
Also, the roles of skipper Kieron Pollard and veteran all-rounder Jason Holder could one day make a difference.
Pollard and his men will be eager to sabotage the party of India in their marquee struggle.
Teams:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Mayank Agarwal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wk), Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohd. Siraj, Famous Krishna, Avesh Khan.
West Indies: Kieron Pollard (captain), Fabian Allen, Nkrumah Bonner, Darren Bravo, Shamrah Brooks, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akil Hossein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Kemar Roach, Romario Shepard, Odeon Smith, Hayden Walsh Jr.
The match will start at 1.30 pm.
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