India won the ODI series against West Indies 2-1, and there were plenty of takeaways from the tour.

The series was used for experimentation for India ahead of the World Cup at home. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli received limited game time during the three ODIs as the backup players were tried and tested instead. Though India’s loss to the Windies in the second ODI was criticised, results were not the only metric of success in the series, as India looked for answers to their selection dilemmas.

In the end, the series was exactly what India needed ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup and the World Cup with a number of candidates putting their hands up.

Ishan Kishan is a strong contender for backup opener and wicketkeeper

An in-from Kishan solves a number of problems for India. He is not only a backup opener but also a left-hander who can keep wicket, a combination that India have been on the lookout for, which also forced them to use Rishabh Pant in the role previously.

Kishan ended with three half-centuries in the ODI series, winning the Player of the Series award. In the second game, when all other India batters struggled, the opener let go of his inhibitions, making a run-a-ball 55. He was arguably the best India batter in the 50-over games and should make the World Cup squad even as talks revolved around a potential return for Shikhar Dhawan.

Kishan will not only be a backup for Rohit and Shubman Gill but can also be a reserve keeper if KL Rahul pulls up again midway through the edition.

Umran Malik isn’t there yet

‘Pace is pace’, but it is not everything and Umran has learnt that the hard way. Not being picked in the squad for the Asian Games indicated that Umran was in contention to make the World Cup team but he did himself no favours by returning wicketless in the first two ODIs, before he was dropped from the third. In the second match, he kept bowling short to Shai Hope and Brandon King, who had no trouble dispatching him away. His overall career economy rate is 6.54 with an average of 30.69 after nine innings.

What also doesn’t work in his favour is that he offers a one-dimensional option to India as a middle-overs enforcer. He is guilty of leaking plenty of runs with the fielders inside the circle, and while India can groom him for the role, Shardul Thakur does exactly the same and offers batting depth too.

The return of Prasidh Krishna and the emergence of Mukesh Kumar has further pushed him down the pecking order.

‘Lord’ Shardul Thakur continues doing his thing

Do not try to decode Thakur, but just sit back and see him weave his magic. Never really considered a certainty in the XI as he remains a backup to Hardik Pandya, Thakur gives enough reasons why he is indispensable with each passing game. He picked up eight wickets through the series and was the only bowler from India to leave an impact in the second game with three scalps in an innings when West Indies lost only four wickets.

Thakur has picked up 28 wickets, the most among all pacers in the middle-overs of an ODI since 2020, and can be an effective option on wickets like Dharamsala, where there will be little spin on offer. The fact that his presence also extends the batting also works for him. India can afford to play around with their squad with a firing Thakur and even have the option of playing five seamers (including two all-rounders) if the conditions permit without drying up their batting.

Sanju Samson is ahead of Suryakumar Yadav in the race

If either Shreyas Iyer or Rahul fails to recover in time, India’s middle order will once again be under scrutiny. The battle will be between Samson and Yadav for a place in the XI, and, based on current form, the former seems to have surged ahead.

Samson averages 55.71 in 13 ODIs, and while the sample size is small, he has looked to play attacking cricket. Seven of his 12 ODI knocks have been struck at over 94, and even on Tuesday (August 1), he started off with the same mindset, hitting two sixes in his first four balls to get the ball rolling after India lost two quicks wickets before getting a fifty. He has made three fifties and two fifties in his short ODI career, batting down the order in most instances.

Yadav, on the other hand, has been unable to translate his T20I form into 50-over cricket, averaging 24.33. He got starts against the Windies but could not carry on. In 24 innings, he has made fewer than 35 runs on 20 occasions, which is evidence of his struggles to get a big score.

Where is Yuzvendra Chahal?

India gave every player in the squad an opportunity against West Indies except for Yuzvendra Chahal. The spinner has not played a single T20 World Cup game in his career despite topping the Indian Premier League wicket-taking charts and could miss out on the upcoming World Cup as well if the series is anything to go by.

Chahal did not play the ODIs against Australia either and has been left behind after the recent resurgence of Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm spinner averages a little over 20 in the last two forms and has looked lethal after minor tweaks to his body alignment and action.

Along with Kuldeep, India will also play Jadeja in the XI, and Axar Patel is expected to be the third spinner for his batting skills. However, Axar and Jadeja are similar bowlers, and with Kuldeep, the team will head into a home World Cup with three left-handed spinners. Chahal lends variety but India have not given him adequate match time.

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