3 players in the West Indies squad who India should be wary of in ODI series
India take on hosts West Indies in a 3-match ODI series beginning on Thursday, July 27, with the first game to be played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. This is a very important series for the Indian side as the ICC Cricket World Cup is just around two months away.
India are one of the favourites to win the World Cup, which they would be hosting. On the other end of the spectrum, the West Indies, for the first time ever, will miss the tournament as they failed to qualify for it.
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India will be desperate to make ample use of the three games to figure out the best team combination as time is running out for the World Cup preparations. The series, though, will not be the best test for India as the West Indies haven't been a great one-day side in recent times.
Still, the side has players who can do a lot of damage on their day and India must be prepared for that. On that note, here's a look at three such players from the West Indian side who India should be wary of in the upcoming series:
#1 Shimron Hetmyer
The big-hitting Shimron Hetmyer last played for the West Indies almost a year ago and his last ODI appearance was in a game against Australia two years ago. He missed out on the T20 World Cup last year after failing to board his flight to Australia, despite the board rescheduling it on his request.
Hetmyer now returns to the side and he will be desperate to prove a point, which is why the Indians have to be wary of him. Hetmyer has featured in 47 ODIs thus far and has a decent average of 35.29, coupled with a healthy strike-rate of 106.4.
In the couple of Major League games that he has played recently, the southpaw has looked in more than decent touch. West Indies will hope for him to come good in the upcoming series against India as they look to rebuild after the debacle in the World Cup qualifiers.
#2 Jayden Seales
The 21-year-old Jayden Seales is one of the most exciting talents in the Caribbean at present. While he has already made a mark in Test cricket, his ODI career is yet to take off. The seamer has picked up only 4 wickets in 7 matches of this format.
Seales, like Hetmyer, is making a comeback to the ODI setup and will hope to put up a good show. He has not played a lot of competitive cricket in recent times but India must not take him lightly as he has all the skills to create problems for their batters.
#3 Yannic Cariah
Yannic Cariah, a leg-spinner by trade, has played 8 ODIs since making his debut against New Zealand in 2022. He has picked up 9 wickets so far and is looked at as a wicket-taking option.
In the recent World Cup Qualifiers, he was quite impressive in the warm-up games as he picked up two four-wicket hauls in as many outings.
Cariah has a pretty good record in List-A cricket with 43 wickets to his name from 34 games. He also has good batting credentials, with one half-century in ODIs and 5 centuries in first-class cricket. He will be one of the players to watch out for from a West Indian perspective.