West Indies vs India 2022: Strongest Predicted Playing 11 for ODI Series

Shikhar Dhawan to lead as we look at the strongest predicted playing 11 for Team India for the 2022 ODI series vs West Indies. 

2006 was the last time Team India lost an ODI series to West Indies, and 2002 was the last time India lost an ODI series to West Indies at home. Such has been the dominance of Team India that it prompted the selectors to send a B team to play against a fairly inferior West Indies side.

With a full-strength squad led by Rohit Sharma playing the ODI series vs England in England, India have rested a lot of senior players for the West Indies ODI series. Along with their primary captain Rohit Sharma, the likes of Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Mohammed Shami have been rested.

Talking about the West Indies ODI series, another new captain for 2022, Shikhar Dhawan shall be leading the side with Ravindra Jadeja being his deputy. Shikhar Dhawan, who is now being considered only for ODIs is the oldest member of the squad, and considering his experience, he becomes an automatic choice for the Captaincy. 

With a fairly new side on the table, what team combination will Team India adopt? Let’s look at the strongest predicted playing 11 for Team India for the ODI series vs West Indies. Before that, let’s look at the official squad for Team India. 

West Indies vs India 2022 – Official ODI Series Squad Players List for Team India: 

Batters: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill & Suryakumar Yadav 

Wks: Ishan Kishan & Sanju Samson 

All-rounders: Axar Patel, Deepak Hooda & Ravindra Jadeja 

Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur & Yuzvendra Chahal

Coach: Rahul Dravid // Captain: Shikhar Dhawan // V.Captain: Ravindra Jadeja

Openers: Shikhar Dhawan & Ishan Kishan

The absence of the primary captain and opener Rohit Sharma gives the backup opener Ishan Kishan an opportunity to open alongside captain Shikhar Dhawan. Kishan, who generally comes with an attacking mindset will complement Dhawan well, who generally likes to go at a decent pace in ODIs.

Middle-order: Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav & Deepak Hooda

The middle-order for Team India shall be an interesting selection. While Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav shall definitely be included in the playing 11, the selection of the third player will be an interesting one. As of now, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shubman Gill are backup openers, so Sanju Samson and Deepak Hooda shall compete for this spot. 

Of the two, Deepak Hooda seems a front-runner for two main reasons. One is that Hooda has been quite exceptional ever since he debuted for Team India. So, he deserves the selection more than Sanju. Second, with Hooda at 5, Shreyas Iyer and SKY will get more game time. Also, Hooda’s part-time off-spin can come in handy if pitch assists spin.

There could also be a possibility of Sanju Samson and Deepak Hooda; both playing together. If Sanju Samson plays at 3, Shreyas Iyer at 4, Suryakumar Yadav at 5, then Deepak Hooda can play as a batting all-rounder at 6. India would then be playing 3 pacers, 1 spinner and 2 all-rounders.

All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja & Shardul Thakur

Vice-captain Ravindra Jadeja shall lead the all-rounder duties for Team India in the absence of Hardik Pandya. Against a side like West Indies, Team India would be hoping for more game time from Jadeja. So, him playing at 6 seems more viable. Whereas Shardul at 7 may not be an exact like-to-like for Pandya, but India can go with this move as they had earlier this year in India. 

Bowlers: Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna & Yuzvendra Chahal

Coming to the bowling department, India would be without their two first-choice pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. In their place, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh seem to be the best available replacements. While Avesh is an option, the other two, who are also a part of the England series, shall be preferred. 

Meanwhile, Prasidh Krishna and Yuzvendra Chahal shall lead the pace bowling and spin bowling respectively for Team India. Both are currently the first-choice bowlers for Team India in the ODI series vs England. Hence, their experience shall be useful on the generally slow and low West Indies pitches.

West Indies vs India 2022: Strongest Predicted Playing 11 for ODI Series

Shikhar Dhawan (C), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh & Yuzvendra Chahal

So, that completes the strongest predicted playing 11 for Team India for the 2022 ODI series vs West Indies. The only debatable options for playing 11 seem to be Hooda vs Samson and Avesh vs the fourth pacer. Meanwhile, as we wait for the series to begin, let’s look at India vs West Indies 2022 ODI series schedule. 

Here’s the schedule for West Indies vs India 2022 ODI Series:

• 1st ODI // July 22 // Port of Spain 
• 2nd ODI // July 24 // Port of Spain 
• 3rd ODI // July 27 // Port of Spain 

Thanks for reading! What’s your playing 11 for Team India for the 2022 ODI series vs West Indies? Please email your comments to business@cricalytics.com

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Adesh Kothari

Adesh Kothari is the founder of AK4Tsay1 Cricalytics with over 20 years of experience following Cricket.

Cricket to him is like what Football is to Lionel Messi, Singing is to Lata Mangeshkar, Dancing is to Michael Jackson, and Acting is to Clint Eastwood.

Besides his effervescent love for Cricket, Adesh is an MBA by qualification.