A few players pick themselves but there are still question marks over the availability and fitness of several. We have assumed that India will have a full–strength bunch of cricketers to choose from, and have made our predicted squad accordingly.

Openers

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk)

Skipper Rohit is a sure starter, despite his recent comments that proclaim that no one is safe. His opening partner is also confirmed after the Indian team made their preference clear by selecting Gill in ODIs this year over veteran Shikhar Dhawan. Dhawan, an ICC events beast, has struggled with timing and his strike rate, hitting at 74.21 in 2022, even as Gill finally emerged from the shadows. Gill’s stellar start to 2023 has almost confirmed Dhawan’s exit, and despite his recent lean patch, he should be the second opener in the first match.

Kishan has climbed up the pecking order after three back-to-back fifties in the West Indies, where the wickets were on the slower side. He paced his innings to perfection and batted maturely according to the situation, and will not only be the backup opener but also a backup wicketkeeper in the squad.

Middle-order

Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk)

The mere suggestion of not selecting Kohli will be blasphemy so let’s not even go there. Even as he continues his return to form, Indian fans will desperately be praying to the different Gods that they believe in that Iyer and Rahul can regain full fitness and mark spectacular comebacks as well. Both injured, Iyer and Rahul are the core of the middle order, without whom the batting will struggle, with unproven replacements.

Iyer can not only take on the spinners in the middle overs but can also be relied upon to arrest a top-order collapse, a sight Indian fans are not alien to in crucial moments. Rahul at No.5 has been a revelation, averaging 53 in 18 games at the position, with one hundred and seven fifties.

If the two are unable to find fitness, Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav are expected to replace them, choices that do not send a sense of security among fans. The vastly talented Samson struggles with shot selection and temperament often, while Yadav recently admitted to his ODI numbers being “really bad.”

All-rounders

Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel

Though Axar and Jadeja are similar bowlers and turn the ball into the batter, the former has played more recently and could be given the edge over R Ashwin. Ashwin last played an ODI in January 2022, and unless there is a repeat of the 2021 T20 World Cup when the off-spinner made a return after four years for the event, Axar will be picked as a backup to Jadeja. He has also improved his batting in recent years, even playing as a specialist No.7 in the second T20I against West Indies recently.

Hardik answers a number of issues for India with regard to the team balance. He is likely to be joined by Thakur as the second seam all-rounder, after developing a habit of grabbing wickets in the middle overs, breaking important partnerships when least expected. His batting is a bonus as well.

Spinners

Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal

The two pick themselves, with no other frontline spinner on the horizon. Kuldeep has been in exceptional form since his comeback which has seen him return with a few tweaks to his bowling. He averages 20.91 in the format since the start of 2022 and should start over Chahal in the XI.

Jadeja and Axar are the other spinners in the team.

Fast bowlers

Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami

Again, there are no surprises here. In an ideal world, India would want to play all three quicks, but it would drastically reduce the batting depth, which would then end at No.7. With Hardik also bowling regularly, the chance of all three quicks playing together, unless on wickets that have plenty of bounce, like in Kolkata or Dharamsala, are slim.