IND vs WI: India's Squad For The T20I Series (Predicted)

India will host West Indies for a three-match ODI and a three-match T20I series from February 06-February 20 after returning from South Africa. The IND vs WI ODI series will be played from 6 February in Ahmedabad.  The next two games of the series will be played at the same venue considering the changes made by BCCI in wake of the rising COVID-19 cases in India. The T20I games will be played between February 16-20 at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata

Rohit Sharma will return to the Indian side in the upcoming series against West Indies. He will lead the team in the ODIs and T20Is He is currently ruled out with a hamstring injury. KL Rahul will lead the team in his absence in the ODI series. Thus, the upcoming ODIs against West Indies will be his first ODI assignment as a full-time captain.

Ahead of the start of the series, we will look at the predicted 15-member Indian T20I squad that might be announced.

IND vs WI: India’s Squad For The T20I Series (Predicted)

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma, being the ODI and T20I skipper is an automatic selection in the 15-member squad. This will his full-time assignment as India’s T20I skipper. He has previously led the team with all pomp and glory. The Nidahas Trophy and the 2018 Asia Cup tournaments remain his most notable achievements as a T20I captain for India. He will also return to the India squad having recovered from his hamstring injury.

KL Rahul

Rahul will get back to his duties as a vice-captain in the home series against West Indies. He also guarantees himself a spot in the squad given that he has shown tremendous consistency across three formats in recent times. The BCCI also seems Rahul as a promising prospect for being the Indian captain across formats in the future. In that sense, his contributions will be monitored as well.

Shikhar Dhawan

The southpaw might keep his place in the squad. He has delivered when the odds have been against him and is expected to make the cut for the West Indies series. It will be important for him to perform in the ODI series against South Africa to stake his claim.

Virat Kohli

With the load of captaincy off his shoulders, Kohli will be hungrier for runs in the T20I series. He has clarified his intent to play for India as long as possible and would not leave any stone unturned to do that. He will be a crucial member for India heading into the T20 World Cup later this year in Australia.

Suryakumar Yadav

Having made his ODI and T20I debut last year against England, Suryakumar Yadav is expected to be given a longer rope by the BCCI. He is a part of the ODI series against South Africa and is expected to be included in the T20I squad for the West Indies series as well. Yadav along with Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant will make the middle-order stringer for India.

Shreyas Iyer

Iyer is another option to lead India in the future. Given that Rahul Dravid believes in giving chances to youngsters, Iyer should make it to the T20I squad against West Indies. He was out of the game for a while after shoulder surgery but now has made a comeback to the Indian squad and looks fit for the long haul.

Rishabh Pant

After MS Dhoni’s retirement, Pant is India’s next all-format keeper. That makes him an automatic pick for the T20I series against West Indies. The southpaw has made some notable contributions in Test cricket for the last two years. It is time now to test his skills in the shorter formats of the game as well. He was a part of the India T20 World Cup squad.

Venkatesh Iyer

The MP cricketer is India’s designated all-rounder in the white-ball formats at the moment. He was added to the squad as Hardik Pandya’s replacement as he made his T20I debut against the Kiwis. He is a part of the Indian ODI squad for the South Africa series and the BCCI should persist with him for the home T20Is against the Windies

Washington Sundar

Sundar has been out of the Indian cricket team since the UAE leg of IPL 2021. He is currently recovering from a finger injury that kept him out of the T20 World Cup as well. He is expected to get fit by the time the West Indies series starts. If he gets fit, the BCCI should consider him in its 15-member squad.

Ravindra Jadeja

The left-arm spinning all-rounder is also nursing a swollen forearm which kept him out of the second Test against New Zealand in Mumbai. If Jadeja gets fit in time, he should be considered for selection in the T20I series against West Indies. He will be a crucial player for India in this year’s T20 World Cup as well.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar should also keep his place in the Indian T20I side for the home series against West Indies, given that he stays away from injury. He is only playing in the white-ball formats for India in recent times. Bhuvi has already missed a lot of cricket due to injury. It is imperative that he stays fit to be considered for selection.

Deepak Chahar

Deepak Chahar is a T20I specialist for India. His ability to swing the ball first up and even in the final overs makes him a dangerous prospect for opposition batsmen. MS Dhoni has made him a wicket-taking option with the ball by giving him tough overs at CSK. Rohit Sharma also has shown a lot of belief in him. Chahar is expected to play against West Indies at home.

Yuzvendra Chahal

The leg-spinner is another guaranteed selection in the T20I series against the Windies at home. He is India’s first-choice spinner in white-ball formats. He kept his place in the side as Kuldeep Yadav fell out of favour. Chahal is also a part of India’s ODI squad for South Africa series as well.

Jasprit Bumrah

India’s premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been playing continuous cricket since the IPL. With India not playing too many ODIs this year, Bumrah might be given a break after the West Indies series at home. At some point in time, the BCCI need to think about the workload of Bumrah. He has been out of the squad due to a stress fracture in the past.

Mohammed Siraj

Siraj concludes the list of India’s predicted 15-member squad which might be named in the T20I series at home against West Indies. Siraj has been playing consistently in the red-ball format for India. It is time now that he is given a run in white-ball games as well.

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