West Indies tour of India 2022: SWOT analysis of India's ODI squad

Rohit Sharma's first assignment as permanent captain of the Indian ODI team is a three-match bilateral series against the West Indies.

Both India and West Indies lost their last respective bilateral ODI series. While India went down 3-0 against South Africa, West Indies lost 2-1 against Ireland.

India and West Indies have faced each other 58 times in ODI matches in India, with the latter winning 29 times and West Indies 28. One match ended in a tie. In the last ten ODIs between the two nations, India have won seven, and West Indies two, while one game was abandoned due to rain.

India have named an 18 member squad for their three-match ODI series against the West Indies:

Rohit Sharma (Capt), KL Rahul (VC), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shikhar, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wk), D Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Y Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan.

The three ODIs will be played on 6th, 9th and 11th February 2022 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

On that note, here is a detailed analysis of the Indian squad:

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# Strength - Srong top order

Shikhar Dhawan had an impressive ODI series against South Africa.

The biggest strength of Team India in their three-match ODI series is the presence of a strong top order. Despite KL Rahul being available from the second ODI, the presence of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli in the top 3 instils fear in the opposition camp.

Dhawan had an impressive outing against South Africa in the ODIs. He scored 169 runs in three games at an average of 56.33, with two half-centuries. He got off to a good start in all three games, but failed to convert any of the starts to a big hundred. He will look to dominate the West Indian bowling attack in home conditions, and score big hundreds.

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has an incredible record against the West Indies. In 31 ODI innings against them, he has scored 1523 runs at an average of 60.92. He has scored three centuries and 11 half-centuries against the West Indies. He loves to score big runs against the men from the Caribbean, with all three of his hundreds against them being scores above 150.

Virat Kohli has nine ODI centuries against the West Indies.

Virat Kohli scored two half-centuries in the three ODIs in the recently concluded series against South Africa, where he looked in good touch. He has an astounding record against the West Indies in ODI cricket, having scored nine ODI centuries and 11 half-centuries. He averages 72.1 in 38 ODI innings against them.

Meanwhile, KL Rahul could bat at number 4 in the two games he plays in the ODI series. He has a decent record against the West Indies, and has scored a century against them. He averages 58.25 in four ODIs against the visitors.

The presence of a strong top order is an asset for Team India going into the ODI series.

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# Weakness - Inexperienced fast-bowling attack

Shardul Thakur is the most experienced Indian pacer.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have been rested for the ODI series against the West Indies. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been overlooked after a poor outing against the Proteas.

Team India have named a new-look pace attack. Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Avesh Khan and Prasidh Krishna are the five fast bowlers for the said ODI series.

Shardul Thakur is the most experienced pacer of the lot, having played 17 ODIs. Apart from Thakur, none of the other pacers have played more than ten ODIs.

Avesh Khan is an exciting young pacer, but he is yet to make his debut in international cricket. Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj has made a name for himself in Test cricket, but is quite inexperienced in ODIs. He played his lone ODI way back in 2019, where he conceded 76 runs in ten overs without picking up a wicket.

Deepak Chahar has been impressive for India in the six ODIs he has played, taking eight scalps at an average of 34. Prasidh Krishna, too, is finding his feet in ODI cricket, taking nine wickets in four games.

The five Indian pacers combined have played just 28 ODI games, taking 40 wickets. The explosive West Indies batting line-up could look to take advantage of the inexperienced Indian pacers in the ODI series.

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# Opportunities - Indian middle order to make a mark, Kuldeep Yadav to be back amongst the wickets

Shreyas Iyer has failed to score big in ODIs recently.

Since the retirement of Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina, Team India have struggled to find the ideal replacement for the said trio.

Shreyas Iyer had a forgettable outing in South Africa, scoring only 54 runs in three games at an average of 18. He will be under pressure to score runs in the middle order, with KL Rahul likely to bat at number 4.

Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav has had an impressive start to his ODI career. He averages 54.33 in four ODIs and could be the go-to man for Rohit Sharma if Shreyas Iyer fails to score big in the series against the West Indies.

Kuldeep Yadav has picked up 107 ODI wickets.

Kuldeep Yadav has been recalled to the Indian ODI team. He has a good record in the ODI format, picking up 107 wickets at a decent average of 28.35.

He is an asset, especially in the middle overs, as he picks up wickets at regular intervals. He bowls well in tandem with Chahal, and the duo could be the trump card for Team India in the ODI series against the dangerous visitors.

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# Threat - An unpredictable West Indies team

The West Indian ODI team is unpredictable. They have a few match-winners who can change the course of games in the span of a few overs. Shai Hope has been consistent at the top of the order for the Windies, averaging 52.08 in 81 ODIs.

All-rounders like Kieron Pollard, Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Odean Smith and Romario Shepherd are dangerous, especially with the bat in the death overs. They could take advantage of the inexperienced Indian pace-bowling attack.

The main battle in the ODI series could be between the West Indies middle order and the Indian spinners in the middle overs.

India are, without a doubt, the favourites going into the upcoming ODI series. However, the visitors could offer stiff resistance, and the matches could well go down to the wire. Fans should be up for an exciting series,