Delhi. When the Indian national selection committee selects the team for the ODI and T20 International series against West Indies here on Wednesday, the possibility of inclusion of Rishabh Pant and a fit-returned Hardik Pandya will be the main topic of discussion.
India will play 3 ODIs and 5 T20 against West Indies
The T20 matches will start from October 6 and there is every possibility that the same team will be selected for it which will participate in the Asian Games. But the selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar may have to puzzle over the team while selecting the team for the 50-over format.
Big meeting to be held in Delhi
Agarkar will be in Delhi for the meeting and it is likely that he will also discuss with the board officials whether his contract will be extended till the ODI World Cup to be held in 2027. Pandya's return to competitive cricket is scheduled for September 20 as he has already been selected for India A's three-match ODI series against Australia A in Puducherry from October 6.
Damadol case on these names
The ODI matches against West Indies will start from September 27 in Thiruvananthapuram and the selection committee will have to decide whether Pandya is ready to bowl 10 overs and field up to 50 overs in ODIs or not. If Pandya is not available then the shortage of fast bowling all-rounders will become a problem for the selection committee.
The second option is that Nitish Kumar Reddy will be in Japan to participate in the Asian Games during the ODI series. Third and fourth options Suryansh Shedge and Venkatesh Iyer are currently injured. Due to Pant's poor performance in the IPL, he lost the Test vice-captaincy and also did not get a place in the ODI team.
But due to Ishan Kishan being in Japan, this talented left-handed batsman may get a chance in the 15-member team. Even if he is selected, KL Rahul will remain the first choice as ODI wicketkeeper.
In the absence of Shreyas Iyer, Rahul can also be appointed vice-captain of the ODI team. If Pant does not get a chance then the selectors can choose Dhruv Jurel. In such a situation, Pant may be asked to captain the Rest of India in the Irani Cup.
Due to Iyer's participation in the Asian Games, Ruturaj Gaikwad may get a chance to bat at number four after captain Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Yashasvi Jaiswal will be the reserve opener, while the middle-order reserve batsman will be Rajat Patidar. Both Gaikwad and Patidar are likely to play for India A after the ODI series against West Indies. Gaikwad can be made the captain for this.
Ravindra Jadeja, who was not selected for the ODI series in England, may be called back into the team as Harsh Dubey got injured during the recent Duleep Trophy semi-final match. Dubey and Axar Patel were being considered as left-arm spinners for ODIs, but in their absence the selectors may include Jadeja in the team. The name of human betterment can also be considered. Akshar will play in the Asian Games.
If injured Varun Chakravarthy is unable to play in the Asian Games and Kuldeep Yadav is included in the team, then a big problem will arise in front of the selectors. Then if they need a wrist spinner, they will have to resort to bowlers like Vipraj Nigam or Zeeshan Ansari.
Mohammed Siraj was not part of the ODI team for the England tour, but he is likely to return. In the fast bowling department, Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna and Prince Yadav were part of the last series. Jasprit Bumrah will not be available due to being busy in the Asian Games. At present, the chances of experienced players like Mohammed Shami and Yuzvendra Chahal getting a chance in the team are very less.