3 young batters who should get a chance in ODIs vs West Indies

The Indian Cricket Team will tour the West Indies in the months of July and August. The Indian side will play two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is in the Caribbean. The ODI series promises to be a crucial one for the visitors in the run-up to the ICC World Cup in India in the months of October and November.

Playing against a depleted and average West Indies side, India might want to experiment with their playing XI and test their bench strength before the showpiece event in India. Rohit Sharma and his men will have to get their combinations right if they want to end India's 10-year drought for an ICC trophy.

The recently concluded IPL has thrown up a plethora of youngsters, who have impressed one and all with not just their talent but their fearless approach to the game, something the Indian Team has lacked in their last few ICC tournament appearances. On that note, let us take a look at three young batters who should get a chance in the three-match ODI series against the Windies.

#1 Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been one of the most consistent young players in the IPL for more than three seasons. The fact that he was retained by CSK over the legendary Faf Du Plessis in itself shows how important a player he is to the franchise.

In 16 matches in IPL 2023, Gaikwad struck 590 runs at an average of 42.14 and a strike-rate of 147.50. His consistent performances in the IPL have shown that he copes well with the challenge of facing some of the best bowlers in the world.

Gaikwad has shown the same prowess in the ODI format in domestic cricket. In his last 10 Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) outings, he has scored an astonishing eight hundreds.

He scored a double hundred in the quarter-final of the 2022-23 VHT match against Uttar Pradesh. In the same match, he struck a stupendous seven sixes in a single over against left-arm spinner Shiva Singh.

His excellent runs in the last few years makea him an ideal backup choice for regular Team India openers, Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma.

#2 Narayan Jagadeesan

Although, Narayan Jagadeesan had a below-par IPL 2023, he has been one of the top run-getters in domestic cricket in recent years. He was the highest run-scorer in the 2022-23 VHT as he scored 830 runs in eight innings at a strike-rate of 125.37 and an average of 138.33.

The Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batsman scored five centuries, including a scintillating double-century in the tournament. The KKR player can be a good back-up keeper-batsman option for India who are already without the services of Rishabh Pant. With concerns regarding the fitness of KL Rahul, Jagadeesan can be an option the Indian Team Management must consider.

#3 Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal is one of the most flamboyant young cricketers around. In IPL 2023, he impressed one and all by scoring, 625 runs in 14 matches at an average of 48.08 and a strike-rate of 163.61. He scored five half-centuries and one century in the season. As a result of his efforts, he received his maiden Team India call-up as he was picked up as a standby in the Indian squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

He also had a decent VHT 2022-23 as he scored 396 runs in 6 matches at an average of 79.20 and a strike-rate of 95.65. The youngster is definitely a player for the future and would provide the much-needed left-handed batting option in the Indian team. After dropping Shikhar Dhawan and with Rishabh Pant out indefinitely after suffering an accident, Ravindra Jadeja is the only left-handed batter in the Indian batting line-up. Thus, giving Jaiswal a go in the West Indies tour might be a good option.

Can you think of any other such players? Let us know in the comments section below.