West Indies vs India 2017: India's probable playing XI for the fourth ODI
Rain might have washed out the first ODI between West Indies and India but when the rain gods haven’t intervened, the visitors have been utterly dominant. Going into the fourth ODI on Sunday, India know that they can’t lose the series from here and only need one more win to clinch the series.
Whether it is the openers, the middle-order or the bowlers, India have ticked the boxes in all the departments so far in this series. West Indies, on the other hand, just haven’t got going with the bat and have struggled to maintain a competitive run rate throughout the series and that has led to their downfall.
For the fourth India, Kohli already hinted at possible changes, and here is a look at India’s probable playing XI:
Openers
Shikhar Dhawan has had a year to remember so far in 2017. The Champions Trophy got him going and he already has over 500 runs at an average of over 50 in the calendar year. With two fifties in three matches in the series, Dhawan is unlikely to be rested even if India can’t lose the series from here.
Ajinkya Rahane has made the most of India’s decision to rest Rohit Sharma as he is the leading run-getter in the ongoing ODI series. Tow fifties and a century in three matches just highlight the good form that he is in. Even if India make any changes, they wouldn’t want to rest Rahane as he will look to make the most of his purple patch. With Kohli keen to see Rahane play in more than one role, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if he moved to No. 4 although that looks unlikely in this series where he is in stunning form as an opener.
Middle-order
By his own incredibly high standards, Virat Kohli hasn’t lived up to expectations in this series, even if he has a fifty and an unbeaten 32 from the game that was washed out. He is on 27 centuries and just needs one more to equal Sanath Jayasuriya’s record and go into third place in the all-time list of most ODI centuries. Although India have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, Kohli will look to seal the series on Sunday and make it 3-0.
With his first MOM since October 2015, MS Dhoni has shown that he has still got it and can’t be written off just yet. While he has been a slow starter, he has shown that he still has what it takes to catch up in the end like he did in the third ODI where he scored an unbeaten 78. 2-0 up in the series, India might be tempted to make some changes but that is likely to mean a promotion for MS, which will only enhance his chance of scoring runs.
With the series already all but in the bag, now will be the best chance to blood in players who haven’t had a chance so far. Yuvraj Singh hasn't done a great deal in the series and there is a good chance that the team opts to give Rishabh Pant his maiden ODI cap.
With Dhoni already in the side, the 19-year-old is unlikely to keep wickets and might have to begin in the middle-order and play as a fielder before he gets his chance as an opener and keeper.
All-rounders
Since his debut, Kedar Jadhav has arguably been India’s most under-rated batsman. While he hasn’t been brilliant in the field, he has more than made up for it with his exploits with both bat and ball. Anytime he has got an opportunity, he has made it count, like in the third ODI where he played a brilliant cameo with the bat and also picked up the wicket that helped India take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Virat Kohli hasn’t stopped praising Hardik Pandya ever since he became an integral part of the Indian limited-overs team. So far in the series, the 23-year-old hasn’t had much to do but still has proven himself to be incredibly effective with the ball with his variations.
Spinners
Kuldeep Yadav has got off to the perfect start to his ODI career as he has picked up three wickets apiece in his first two innings as an ODI bowler. Batsmen have found it difficult to pick him and the chinaman bowler will look to continue that in the fourth ODI.
Ravichandran Ashwin has had an interesting series so far. In the second ODI, he tried plenty of variations and just picked up a single wicket. In the third ODI, he tried his traditional stock ball largely but changed his action and ended up with three wickets, including his 150th ODI one. Which Ashwin turns up in the fourth ODI is something only he can answer and it will be interesting to see what it will be.
Seamers
Umesh Yadav has found it difficult to replicate his impressive Test form in the shorter formats but he has still been an integral part of the Indian pace bowling arsenal and will likely keep his place for the fourth ODI.
Before his injury, Mohammed Shami led the Indian bowling attack in the 2015 World Cup and was on the verge of claiming the world record for being the fastest to 100 ODI wickets. With the series all but sealed, India might be tempted to rest the in-form Bhuvneshwar Kumar and give Shami a go.