India vs West Indies 2019: India's ideal XI for the ODI series
After emerging victorious in the recently concluded T20 series, Team India will now play a three-match ODI series against the Caribbean team. This will be India's last series in 2019, and they will be looking to continue their good form and finish the year on a high.
The ODI series will kick off on 15 December at Chennai where the two teams will square off in the first ODI. The itinerary of the three-match ODI series is as follows:
1st ODI - Dec 15 (Sunday) | Venue - Chennai | Start time - 2:00 PM (IST)
2nd ODI - Dec 18 (Wednesday) | Venue - Vizag | Start time - 2:00 PM (IST)
3rd ODI - Dec 22 (Sunday) | Venue - Cuttack | Start time - 2:00 PM (IST)
Earlier this year, Team India played an ODI series in West Indies and won it comfortably by a 2-0 margin.
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India's middle-order looked fragile throughout the World Cup, and that was one of the major reasons behind the team's eventual exit in the semi-finals. The team management might have found a temporary solution to the problem as Shreyas Iyer scored consistently in the middle order during the last ODI series, but it remains to be seen whether it's a permanent solution.
This is going to be a crucial series for the likes of Rishabh Pant, Manish Pandey, and Shivam Dube. They will be looking to score consistently and cement their position in the middle order.
On that note, here is India's ideal ODI XI for the series against West Indies:
Openers - Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul
The regular opener Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of the series due to an injury. KL Rahul will in all likelihood partner Rohit Sharma at the top of the order in the upcoming three-match series.
Rahul and Rohit recently put on a scintillating 135-run opening partnership in the 3rd T20I. They will look to continue the same form and provide India with good starts in the ODI series.
Rohit has been in sensational form in ODIs this year. He will be looking to finish off the calendar year on a high by scoring a few match-winning knocks in the upcoming series.
Rahul meanwhile will try to put on consistent performances and strengthen his claims for a permanent spot in the ODI XI.
Reserve opener Mayank Agarwal might get a chance only in case of an injury to any player.