Why are KL Rahul and Yuzvendra Chahal not playing today's India vs West Indies ODI?

Team India made four changes to their playing XI for the third and final ODI against West Indies on Friday. KL Rahul, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shardul Thakur, and Deepak Hooda are all not playing today.

Skipper Rohit Sharma revealed at the toss that Rahul picked up a 'niggle' during the second ODI on Wednesday and is unfit to play on Friday. The vice-captain was unavailable for selection in the first match due to personal reasons. Rahul batted at No.4 on Wednesday and scored 49 (48) before being involved in a messy run-out.

Shreyas Iyer and Shikhar Dhawan, who were down with COVID-19 and couldn't play the first two games, have returned to the Indian playing XI. Dhawan will partner Rohit at the top of the order. But it remains to be seen if India will use Iyer as a like-for-like replacement for Rahul at No.4 or give the job to left-hander Rishabh Pant again.

Meanwhile, Chahal has presumably been given a rest as he's played five matches on the trot, starting with the three-ODI series against South Africa last month. The leg-spinner had a brilliant first two games against the Windies. He picked up five wickets at an average of 18.80, putting his hand up as Rohit's go-to wicket-taker in the middle overs.

Kuldeep Yadav, meanwhile, has made a comeback at the expense of his long-time spin-twin. One of the most promising talents, the left-arm wrist-spinner last played an ODI in July 2021. At the time, he struggled to get into the team consistently before a serious knee injury ruled him out for months. A good wicket-taking performance here could bring him back into India's plans for the 2023 ODI World Cup.

India have cut short their batting by resting Thakur, but Deepak Chahar will provide some new-ball might into the team. Whereas Deepak Hooda, who made his debut in the first ODI, has to sit out without doing much wrong.

How does India's playing 11 looks without KL Rahul and Yuzvendra Chahal?

At first glance, India look short on both the batting and bowling departments without Thakur and Hooda. But considering it is a dead-rubber contest, it could be a good test for the incoming players who've been asked to perform without any extra cushion.

Playing 11: Rohit Sharma(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant(w), Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.

Rohit won the toss and opted to bat first in Ahmedabad.