Windies v India, 2nd ODI: India's Predicted XI

The first ODI between Windies and India at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, was abandoned after the rain played the spoiler. India had an opportunity to bat for 39.2 overs but after a rain interruption, the game never resumed. India will now face off against their Caribbean opponents on Sunday at the same venue, in what is forecast to be another rain-marred ODI.

Indian batters Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane had a ball once they got settled. Rahane, who is making a comeback to the ODI side after some time, showed great class and provided great support to the on song southpaw before he too launched an attack on the bowlers.

All eyes will be on the veteran Yuvraj Singh, who will be appearing in his 400th International match for India. His place in the Indian side is currently under the scrutiny and a good knock from him is the only thing that can save his momentous day from being disastrous. The bowling attack remained untested in the previous game and Virat Kohli will probably go with the same playing XI that appeared on the sheet on Friday.

Openers (Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane)

The way Shikhar Dhawan is amassing runs by making a mockery of every bowling unit around the world, he looks quite determined in confirming his place in the long run. Dhawan was the Golden Bat winner in the Champions Trophy and the left-handed batsman will be looking to get more runs after his name against a relatively fragile West Indian bowling unit.

Ajinkya Rahane is a class-act, who makes the most of his opportunities and doesn’t complain much. A solid half-century in the first game and some good knocks to follow in the remaining games will do a world of good to his ODI career.

Middle Order (Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni)

There won’t be any changes in the batting order and Kohli, Yuvraj and Dhoni will be batting at number 3, 4 and 5 respectively. The Indian skipper recently went past 8,000 runs in ODI cricket whilst Yuvraj will be appearing in his 400th International game for India. It has been an illustrious 17-year-old career for the southpaw from Punjab and he needs some big knocks in the next few games if he wishes to finish his career on a high.

Virat Kohli made a mark for himself in the Champions Trophy and did everything he could as a batsman. He will again look to take the load of the batting department and either carry on the momentum the openers give them or reconstruct the innings in case of an early wicket.

MS Dhoni came out to bat on just two occasions in the Champions Trophy, out of which he scored one half-century. With over 9,000 runs in ODI cricket, the experience that he adds to the middle order is inexplicably valuable. Behind the wickets, he continues to be the best in the world.

AllRounders (Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya)

Kedar Jadhav’s sensational progress in the last few months as an all-rounder has confirmed his place in the Indian side for some time. He really packs a punch with the bat and his canny brain has been helping him succeed with the ball as well.

Hardik Pandya is the one who stole everyone’s heart with a mind-boggling innings against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final. He dismantled the Pakistani spinners as long as he was there in the middle. Though he has a lot of scope to improve his game with the ball, Pandya continues to be a prospective player in the Indian team.

Bowlers (Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav)

During Anil Kumble’s tenure as the head coach, no one benefited more than Umesh Yadav. The speedster has turned a lethal pacer after going through some really bad patches in the last three years. Umesh will pair up with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who undoubtedly is arguably the best new ball and death bowler in white ball cricket right now.

Ravichandran Ashwin needs to follow up his domestic performances with better show in white ball cricket overseas. He didn’t particularly enjoy his run in the Champions Trophy and the team would want their lead spinner to get back his rhythm.

Accompanying him is the debutant from Uttar Pradesh, chinaman, Kuldeep Yadav. In his first Test for India against Australia earlier this year, Kuldeep hoodwinked the Aussie batsmen and made his debut a memorable one. He didn’t get to bowl in the first match and will be eager to partner Ashwin and decimate the Windies batters in the 2nd ODI.