4 changes India must make to their ODI squad for the series against West Indies
Team India under Rohit Sharma successfully defended their Asia Cup crown, after defeating Bangladesh by three wickets on the final delivery of a nail-biting game of cricket at Dubai. It was a splendid team effort by the Men in Blue that earned them the title of Asian champions.
Captaincy brought out the best of Rohit, who along with his fellow opening partner Shikhar Dhawan, anchored India's batting throughout the tournament. Team India's next limited overs assignment will be against the West Indies, with the five-match ODI series starting on October 21 at Guwahati.
Let us now look at four changes India must make to their ODI squad to claim the series against the Windies
Rishabh Pant in for Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik's performance with the bat was not that impressive during the recently concluded 2018 Asia Cup. While Kedar Jadhav, an occasional wicketkeeper, chipped in with valuable runs as well as wickets, and MS Dhoni was at his usual best behind the stumps, Karthik's place in the XI was questionable.
His struggle to get going with the bat was evident in some of the games, as he finished the tournament with 146 runs in six games, with his highest score being 44 against Afghanistan.
With this in mind, the selectors might turn to the young wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant as an alternative for the ODI series against the West Indies. Hailed as the likely successor of MS Dhoni, Pant's heroics with the bat as well as behind the stumps during the Tests against England has us given a major indication of his inclusion for the 2019 World Cup.
If he utilises the opportunity against Jason Holder's men, the Delhi star might well cement his place as the second choice wicketkeeper for the next year's showpiece event in England and Wales.