India vs West Indies 2nd ODI: Eyes on Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and middle-order experiments as Men in Blue hope for rain free day

India have a problem and it lies in the middle order. And that middle order muddle eventually led to downfall of the mighty Men in Blue in the World Cup as they failed to chase down the target of 240 against New Zealand, on a day of rare failure from the top order.

Indian selectors opted for 12 players in the run up to the World Cup year to solve the No. 4 conundrum and yet no batsman could reserve the berth for himself as Team India ended up using four batsmen in that slot in the ICC event. Also, the downgraded version of batsman MS Dhoni and inconsistency of Kedar Jadhav only accumulated the team’s woes.

India are on the road again and the new cycle for the next World Cup is already underway. Reigning World Champions England are the perfect example as to why the preparations must begin at the earliest and that means only one thing — the ongoing West Indies ODI series may not mean a lot in bilateral terms but it’s a valuable opportunity to iron out the flaws. The changes have obviously been made by selectors with Manish Pandey and Shreyas Iyer being recalled while Dinesh Karthik was shown the door. Vijay Shankar is injured and Dhoni was unavailable.

The first match of the new phase of auditioning at Guyana was washed out  with only 13 overs bowled in the West Indies batting. It’s time now for the second audition, which will be played at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain in Trinidad. India will hope for a full game to test the middle order which includes Rishabh Pant, Iyer and Kedar Jadhav at Guyana.

India are not expected to make changes to their playing XI and so, the focus will firmly be on the aforementioned trio.

Pant became India’s No 4 option towards the end of the World Cup. He also held onto the spot for the three-match T20Is. And should ideally come in at two down for the sub-continent giants today as well.

In T20Is, Pant had a mixed outing. After frustrating in the first two matches, the wicketkeeper-batsman impressed in the final match with an unbeaten match-winning 65. What was most pleasing was Pant’s low-risk cricket and responsible response to the team’s requirements. The 21-year-old will be expected to carry on the good work, not least because he’s also the designated successor of Dhoni.

An assured performance in the remaining two matches will go a long way in dispelling any doubts that decision makers may have about Pant’s ability to don the gloves and master the No. 4 slot.

Shreyas Iyer will also have a lot of pressure on his shoulders. A young and dynamic player, Iyer has earned a reputation of speaking his mind while interacting with media, but added attention would also bring along close scrutiny of his performance. He was forced to witness the T20I action from the sidelines but looks like the team’s choice for ODIs. With one game going down the drain, Iyer now only has two matches, on the tour, to make a mark. Failure shouldn’t mean end of the road for the talented batsman but success should give him the sense of belongingness.

The 34-year-old Jadhav somehow survived the World Cup cull but end of the road may not be far for the Maharashtra cricketer. However, modern-day athletes have time and again proven that age is just a number as long as you can perform. Jadhav has to follow the same principle, however, Shubman Gill’s India A performance must be keeping him on his toes.

As far as the bowling is concerned, the first match arrangement — Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed — should not see a change unless there’s a fitness concern.

On the other hand, West Indies have got themselves in a rut in limited-overs cricket. Apart from depressing T20I form, their ODI form is also bad enough to give nightmares to skipper Jason Holder. In their last nine matches, the Caribbean side has only managed one victory with two no results.

Their batting has more often than not let the team down and the 13 overs in the first ODI gave the management some pain and some assurance. ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle got out after a 31-ball four-run knock while Evin Lewis rediscovered his form with 40 not out. Gayle could very well retire from international cricket after the series and hence fireworks should be expected. And such fireworks could prove to the inspiration the hosts are looking for.

From the series perspective, a win in second ODI will give either side immunity against series loss and that should be enough for it to be considered a must-win.

Squads:

India: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kedar Jadhav, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Navdeep Saini

West Indies: Jason Holder (capt), Chris Gayle, John Campbell, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Roston Chase, Fabian Allen, Carlos Brathwaite, Keemo Paul, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas, Kemar Roach.

The second India vs West Indies ODI will begin at 7 PM IST and will be broadcast on Sony Pictures Network.