India vs WI 2022: ODI Series Best Predicted Playing 11 – Rohit as Captain

Rohit Sharma returns as captain as we look at the best predicted playing 11 for Team India for the 2022 ODI series vs West Indies (WI). 

0-3 was an unfortunate result in Team India’s last ODI series vs South Africa. The team may not be a full-strength squad in the absence of key members like Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, and Hardik Pandya. But it was still a pretty solid squad that could have given a tough competition to any team. 

In the absence of Rohit Sharma, the Indian team had KL Rahul captain India for a full-fledged series in the ODIs. But Rohit is now fully fit, and will be donning the captaincy duties in the limited-overs series vs West Indies. Rohit’s captaincy was missed big time as less experienced KL Rahul felt rather bleak in his captaincy implementation. 

With the West Indies series being played at home, there seems a good number of changes in the squad. The team sees the addition of two quality spinners with one of the pacers missing out. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are rested for the series. Whereas Ravichandran Ashwin is left out to let be fresh for the Test series vs Sri Lanka. 

So, as we wait for the ODI series to begin from February 6th, let’s look at the best predicted playing 11 for Team India for the ODI series vs West Indies (WI). Before that, let’s quickly skim through the official squad for Team India for the ODI series. In case you want to know which team has the best odds to win, kindly download 1xbet app.  It is a wonderful destination for all online sporting activities.  

Team India’s Official Squad for 2022 ODI Series vs West Indies

Batsmen: KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Rohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav & Virat Kohli

All-rounders: Deepak Chahar, Deepak Hooda, Shardul Thakur & Washington Sundar 

Bowlers: Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ravi Bishnoi & Yuzvendra Chahal

Coach: Rahul Dravid // Captain: Rohit Sharma // Vice-captain: KL Rahul

Openers: Rohit Sharma & Shikhar Dhawan

It was almost a year back when Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan last opened for Team India in ODIs. One of the most successful opening pairs for Team India would now unite as a mock-up rehearsal to the showdown in the 2023 ODI World Cup. While Dhawan has played all the series since the England series in March, Rohit will be playing his first. 

With Rohit and Shikhar opening, it also means KL Rahul will be back to being a middle-order batter. It was quite surprising to see KL Rahul open the innings in all three ODIs vs South Africa when his original position for the last two years had been middle-order. Nevertheless, KL Rahul will not mind playing at 4 or 5 as he has been fantastic in the last two years at those positions. 

Middle-order: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul & Rishabh Pant

The middle-order will once again see former captain Virat Kohli at 3 and either Rishabh Pant or KL Rahul at 4 or 5. The batting order of Pant or KL will most-likely be decided based upon the match situation. If there is a need for a left-hander, Pant might come in. Whereas if there’s a need or a right-hander, KL might come in. Anyway, either of these is fine as Pant and KL are rather aggressive players in the middle-order. 

Number 6: Suryakumar Yadav

In the third ODI vs South Africa, India opted for a combination of 6 batters and 5 bowlers. With Venkatesh not there, and Jadeja and Hardik missing, India have only 1 batting all-rounder in the squad, and that is Deepak Hooda. While Hooda is not a bad choice at 6, his inexperience might prompt India to play specialists. Hence, Suryakumar Yadav is most-likely to play at 6.

Moreover, as compared to Shreyas, SKY did a good job in the last series. However, with KL Rahul not playing the first ODI, Shreyas Iyer might be looked at, at number 4 or 5 position. As confirmed by BCCI, KL Rahul will be missing the first ODI owing to personal reasons. With him not there it will also give a good chance to see who among SKY or Iyer confirms their place for the second ODI. 

Bowling All-rounders: Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur & Deepak Chahar 

The number 7 shall most-likely see Washington Sundar playing at this position. Sundar has often shown he is a quality bowling all-rounder to have. Even in the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy, Sundar performed brilliantly as a lower-order batter. However, Sundar may also be demoted if Shardul or Deepak are given more confidence in the batting. 

India may have lost the ODI series vs South Africa, but the biggest positive from the series was the rise of the batter in Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar. Both performed brilliantly in all the matches they played. With a big plus in batting, they would be ideal options to be tried at numbers 8 and 9 respectively. However, bowling still remains their strength, and that would need to bring their wicket-taking abilities out. 

Bowlers: Mohammed Siraj & Yuzvendra Chahal

Coming to the final two spots, it should not be a debate Ideally. Siraj should get an edge above Prasidh even as the latter played in South Africa. Siraj is too much of a quality to miss out on, and India would not repeat that mistake. In addition, Yuzi Chahal should continue being the leading spinner of the squad. Chahal did a good job in the ODIs in South Africa, and will be important against West Indies. 

In addition to the above players, India also has the likes of Ravi Bishnoi and Avesh Khan, who will also get an option to showcase their skills in the series. So, that completes the best predicted playing 11 for the ODI series vs West Indies. Apart from the bowling combination, the batting order seems sorted. 

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

Rohit Sharma (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj & Yuzvendra Chahal. 

Thanks for reading! What’s your playing 11 for Team India for the 2022 ODI series vs West Indies (WI)? Please email your thoughts 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.