India hope rain would not play villain in 1st ODI

After three first-ball ducks in the last one-day series against Australia, swashbuckling middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav will look to improve his 50-over form as India begin three-match series in West Indies today

Suryakumar Yadav will be aiming to improve his 50-over credentials, while Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson are likely to audition for the wicketkeeper’s slot when India play a three-match ODI series against the West Indies, beginning here today. India will use the series against the West Indies to test out a few players to finalise their combinations ahead of the Asia Cup, which will precede the ODI World Cup at home in October-November.

Time to prove a point

Like the two Tests, India will be expected to dominate the West Indies, but the series presents a crucial opportunity for the likes of Suryakumar, Kishan, Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal and Umran Malik. Suryakumar, who has not been able to replicate his superhuman T20I form in the ODIs, can stake a claim for the No. 4 spot in the absence of injured Shreyas Iyer.

Though he recorded a hat-trick of first-ball ducks in the previous series against Australia, the X-factor batter is expected to start the series. KL Rahul, who is undergoing rehabilitation after a thigh surgery, will be a strong contender for the number one wicketkeeper’s slot when he returns to action. In his absence, both Kishan and Samson have a chance to make a claim for the second wicketkeeper’s slot with Rishabh Pant unlikely to be fit in time for the World Cup. Samson is used to being in and out of the team, but he will be hoping to get game time in his comeback series and build on his average of 66 in 11 ODIs.

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Ishan behind stumps

Kishan, who impressed with the bat and was behind the stumps in the Test series, is likely to be the wicketkeeper for the opening ODI. That leaves Samson and Suryakumar to battle for the remaining spot in the middle order. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will open the innings which means more time on the bench for Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Vice-captain Hardik Pandya, who has not played since the IPL, has a hectic schedule ahead of him with the five T20Is following the ODIs, bringing workload management to the forefront. Considering that he will captain the T20I side, he might get a breather during the ODI series.

In the bowling department, it is another opportunity for tearaway pacer Umran Malik to make an impact. The 23-year-old from Jammu and Kashmir has the tendency to leak runs but is a genuine wicket-taking option. He has taken 13 wickets in seven ODIs. Chahal has gone down in the pecking order of spinners and Kuldeep Yadav was picked ahead of him in the last series against Australia. The leggie will be eagerly waiting for his chance. 

Mohammed Siraj will lead the pace attack with Jaydev Unadkat, Mukesh Kumar and all-rounder Shardul Thakur being the other options.

433
Total number of runs scored by Suryakumar Yadav in 23 ODIs

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