West Indies vs India 2019: Five changes expected in India’s ODI squad
The Indian team headed into the 2019 World Cup with great ambitions of lifting their third world title. However, their hopes were dashed by the inspired Kiwis who beat them by 18 runs in the first semi-final at Manchester. It was a huge upset as everyone was expecting the strong Indian side to storm into the finals.
After a disappointing end to the World Cup campaign, India heads off to the Caribbean for a full-fledged tour. The tour will consist of 3 T20s, 3 ODIs, and 2 Test matches. The captain, Virat Kohli, and fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah are expected to be rested for the limited-overs leg before returning for the Tests starting August 22.
The Test matches will be a part of the inaugural World Test Championship. Fans are also expecting some big changes in the squad as India rebuild their ODI team for the 2023 edition of the World Cup which is scheduled to be held in India. The Indian squad for the West Indies series is expected to be announced on 19th July 2019.
Let us look at the 5 anticipated changes in the ODI side.
#1 Shreyas Iyer in place of Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik was given a chance in the later stages of the World Cup 2019 in the matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand. He could only muster 14 runs from these two games. His dismissal against the Kiwis dealt a huge blow to India as India were reduced to 24/4 in the semi-final.
Although Karthik's game has improved immensely in the last few years, he is yet to play a decisive knock in ODIs. His game is more suited to T20s where can play the role of a finisher. Karthik is 34 years old now and is unlikely to be a part of the Indian team in the 2023 World Cup. We might just have seen the last of him in ODIs.
Shreyas Iyer has been knocking on the Indian team’s door for some time now. Iyer can be one of the candidates for the No. 4 role. He is exceptional against spin and can also rotate the strike at will. Add to that, he is a live wire on the field and can easily save a significant amount of runs.
Also see - WI vs IND 2019 Squad