India vs West Indies 2019: With Eyes on Virat Kohli’s Participation, Here’s a List of Players Who Could Get a Chance in Team India Squad for Windies Tour
India plays the West Indies in a full-fledged bilateral series in August. But with the series beginning just days after the 2019 Cricket World Cup, key players such as Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah were expected to be rested while the team gives an opportunity to some new players.
After a heart-breaking semi-final defeat in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, Team India will next be seen in action during the tour of West Indies next month. India’s tour of West Indies is scheduled to begin on August 3, starting with three T20 internationals followed by three ODIs and two Test matches. But with the series beginning just days after the 2019 Cricket World Cup, key players such as Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah were expected to be rested while the team gives an opportunity to some new players. Rohit Sharma To Be Captain in ODIs and T20Is While Virat Kohli to Continue as Test Skipper? BCCI Considers Split Captaincy Post World Cup 2019.
But recent reports suggest that India will send a full-strength squad to the Caribbean Island with Kohli leading the line. However, questions over his participation in the series still look in the air with neither the player nor BCCI confirming anything.
The BCCI officials are expected to meet on July 19 to announce the squad for the entire tour of West Indies. But with rumours of Kohli and Bumrah being rested for the tour still hovering around, let us take a look at five other players, who could make the cut in the squad. ICC T20 World Cup 2020: MS Dhoni to Dinesh Karthik, 5 Indian Players Who May Not Be Part of Team India Squad For Next Edition of Twenty20 World Cup.
Shreyas Iyer
The 24-year-old Mumbai batsman captains the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has been instrumental in leading them to the playoffs for the first time in seven years. He made his debut for the Indian national team in 2017 and has so far played six ODIs and six T20s each with the highest score of 88, which came against Sri Lanka. Both of his ODI half-centuries also came against Sri Lanka.
Khaleel Ahmed
His ability to swing the ball and take wickets upfront coupled with him being a left-arm pacer gives Khaleel Ahmed an extra edge over other teenage bowling prospects. He has already played eight ODIs and nine T20 games for the senior men’s cricket team and was even part of the reserve players’ list for CWC 2019. Ahmed travelled with the Indian team to England and assisted them in preparations for the World Cup. In eight ODI matches, Khaleel has 11 wickets.
Krunal Pandya
The elder of the Pandyas, Krunal is surprisingly yet to make his ODI debut for India. He, however, has already played 11 T20s for the men in blue and has a fair economy of 8.27 to go with his 11 wickets. Pandya, now 28, has been an instrumental part of the Mumbai Indians set-up in the IPL in their run to two recent IPL titles in three years.
Shubman Gill
One of India’s bright future prospects, Shubman Gill was the Player of the Tournament in the 2018 U19 World Cup. He has shown enough glimpses of the talent he possesses in his limited chances for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL. He smashed five fifties and has a striker rate over 132in the cash-rich league. Gill made his ODI debut for India against New Zealand in January this year.
Navdeep Saini
Another of India’s brighter future prospects, Navdeep Saini has an envious List A record. He represented Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2019 where he impressed everyone with his length, pace and bounce. Saini, like Khaleel, was part of India’s reserve players list for CWC 2019. He is currently playing for India A against West Indies in the Caribbean and has been in fire with five-wicket hauls.
India’s heart-breaking 18-run defeat to New Zealand in the CWC 2019 semis further highlighted their middle-order woes and showed the team’s heavy dependence on its top three of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli. Some players that were part of India’s disappointing World Cup campaign might have also played their last game with selectors keen to take a look at new players and start preparing for the 2023 edition of the World Cup at home.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 16, 2019 05:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).