India's probable playing XI for 1st ODI against West Indies

Team India will be keen to back up their win in England with a good performance against West Indies. (P.C.:Getty)

India have some of their senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah rested for the three-match ODI series against West Indies that gets under way at Port of Spain in Trinidad on July 22.

The Men in Blue are coming into this series in some fine form, having beaten world champions England 2-1 in their own den in both ODIs and T20Is. However, there are still a few holes they need to fill and questions that they need to answer with respect to the future of their ODI team.

With the ODI World Cup to be played in India next year, the Men in Blue cannot take any series lightly, even if the T20 World Cup later this year is a priority. The ODIs against the men from the Caribbean will be a test for quite a few proven players and also an opportunity for others to make an impact.

On that note, let's have a look at India's probable playing XI for the first ODI:

#1 Shikhar Dhawan

'West Indies is a great opportunity for the youngsters to get exposure and play, says #TeamIndia ODI Captain @SDhawan25 ahead of #WIvIND series. https://t.co/PBelvII28c

Shikhar Dhawan has been appointed as the captain of the ODI team for the series in the absence of Rohit Sharma. The duo have shared great camaraderie and have been one of the best opening combinations in white-ball cricket.

Although Rohit has hinted at Dhawan being his opening partner in the ODI World Cup, the 36-year-old struggled in the ODI series against England. In three games, he scored just 41 runs and failed to maintain a strike rate of even 50.

This makes this ODI series even more crucial for the southpaw, as they have other options on the bench if the selectors run out of patience with him.

#2 Ruturaj Gaikwad

Do you agree with Wasim Jaffer? 🤔🇮🇳

#wasimjaffer #ruturajgaikwad #WIvIND #CricketTwitter #IndianCricketTeam https://t.co/FdJfQeZU5i

While India have the option of Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad might get the nod ahead of the 22-year-old. Gaikwad was sensational in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, smashing four hundreds in five games and was a part of India's ODI squad for the tour of South Africa.

Although he didn't get a chance there and had a disappointing T20I series against the Proteas, the 25-year-old still seems to be the front-runner due to his fantastic form in List A cricket.

#3 Ishan Kishan

🏏👀 𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗘! Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson - which wicket-keeper would you like to see in the Playing XI for the upcoming ODI series? ⏬

📷 Getty • #IshanKishan #SanjuSamson #INDvWI #WIvIND #TeamIndia #BharatArmy https://t.co/1vtt65Zlbf

India have two wicketkeeping options in Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson. But the 24-year-old smashed a quickfire fifty at No. 3 on his ODI debut when Rahul Dravid was the coach of the Indian team that had toured Sri Lanka.

The team management seems to have a lot of faith in the swashbuckling southpaw and he could well be slotted in at No. 3 in Virat Kohli's absence. This could also suit his natural game as he likes to attack even if a wicket falls early in the powerplay.

#4 Shreyas Iyer

Going to be an important India vs West Indies ODI series for Shreyas Iyer, he was the first choice middle order player till 2021 then the injury happened and lost his spot from this setup so this series will be crucial for Iyer considering World Cup next year in India.

#IndvWI

Shreyas Iyer had smashed 80 against the West Indies at Ahmedabad the last time he batted in an ODI. So quite a few eyebrows were raised when Suryakumar Yadav was preferred ahead of him in the middle-order against England.

The 27-year-old has struggled with the short ball of late and that's what might have pushed him back in the pecking order. But with an average of above 41 in 27 ODIs, Iyer has proved that he has the temperament to be a mainstay in ODIs.

#5 Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav's magnificent 117 in just 55 balls. One of the greatest you'll see! https://t.co/3Fci70hVGx

While many might consider Suryakumar Yadav a T20I specialist, he has done extremely well in his short ODI career so far. In nine innings, he has scored 310 runs at an average of 44.28.

His sensational T20I hundred against England at Trent Bridge has shown how dangerous he can be at No. 5 if he gets into his groove towards the backend of the innings.

#6 Deepak Hooda

Champions 🇮🇳💙 https://t.co/tCW17RnJOF

Deepak Hooda has been in red-hot form in T20Is of late and also has a hundred to his name against Ireland. Quite a few eyebrows were raised when he wasn't named in the ODI squad against England.

However, with Hardik Pandya rested and Ravindra Jadeja likely to be unavailable, Hooda can play the role of an all-rounder at No. 6 as he can hit the big shots and also bowl a few overs with his off-spin.

#7 Axar Patel

🇮🇳🏏 COMMENT YOUR CHOICES! Name the players you'd like to see play for us in the middle-order in the upcoming #WIvIND ODI series!

📷 Getty • #SuryakumarYadav #ShreyasIyer #RavindraJadeja #SanjuSamson #AxarPatel #DeepakHooda #INDvWI #WIvIND #TeamIndia #BharatArmy https://t.co/WdkHx5jSXn

Axar Patel has 45 ODI wickets to his name, but hasn't quite been that effective with the bat. With the probability that he will replace Jadeja at No. 7, the all-rounder will need to up his game to ensure that the Men in Blue's batting doesn't look thin on paper.

#8 Shardul Thakur

Journey to the Caribbean islands 🏏🌴🍹 @yuzi_chahal #BCCI #TeamIndia #st54 https://t.co/Ig20ZPnPvh

Jadeja's absence might force India to play Shardul Thakur at No. 8 because they might not trust Axar with the bat. Axar and Thakur together formed a handy lower middle-order for the Delhi Capitals and could be used in the same way this time for Team India.

However, Thakur will need to improve on his bowling as he can get carried away at times and end up being expensive.

#9 Prasidh Krishna

Prasidh Krishna has been a standout for India since 2021 in ODIs. https://t.co/C5sOS8bmzb

Prasidh Krishna was a tad expensive at times against England. But in his brief ODI career, he has shown that he has the ability to rush the batters with pace and bounce by hitting the hard lengths. Given the management's track record of backing players, Krishna might keep his place in the XI.

#10 Mohammad Siraj

Mohammad Siraj and his habit of picking up big wickets.

A match made in heaven. #EngvsInd https://t.co/PdTyW0nn2X

Mohammad Siraj had a difficult past few months across formats as he was inconsistent. But he showed in the third ODI against England that he has the ability to make the new ball talk. In the absence of Bumrah and Shami, Siraj might be India's hope for picking up wickets upfront.

#11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Wickets of Yuzi Chahal in the 2nd ODI -

Root
Bairstow
Stokes
Moeen.

Top class performance by Yuzvendra Chahal 👏 https://t.co/YUUtSDMldk

Although India lost the second ODI, Yuzvendra Chahal was sensational, picking up figures of 4/47 and proving why he is an asset in white-ball cricket. With the 31-year-old being rested for the T20I series, he might play all three ODIs.