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The Board Of Control For Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday confirmed that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been ruled out of the first two ODIs against West Indies due to an injury to his right knee. The Medical Team is monitoring him and the call on his availability for the third and final ODI will be taken accordingly. Earlier, India captain Shikhar Dhawan on Thursday said that Jadeja has a niggle.
Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris feels Shardul Thakur will find it difficult to get back into the Indian team, especially with the emergence of Hardik Pandya. Shardul, who did not feature in the white-ball series against England, is one of the five pacers in the 16-member Indian squad for the ODI series against the West Indies. Meanwhile, Hardik has been excellent form for India, and was named the 'Man of the Series' against England. However, Styris feels Shardul isn't as good as star all-rounder Hardik, and will have to fight his way back into the team.
India will take on West Indies in the first ODI of the three-match series at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad later on Friday. Team India, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, won the T20I, as well as the ODI series against England, earlier this month. While Rohit and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will miss the ODIs, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested for the entire tour. In Rohit's absence, Shikhar Dhawan will lead the Indian team.
Team India opener Shikhar Dhawan said that he is not troubled by the criticism that he faces after almost every time he failed to score big in a couple of matches. Dhawan will become the seventh skipper to lead India this year during the three-match ODI series against the Men in Maroon. The 36-year-old said that he wouldn't have been where he is today if he had let criticism affect his play. "I don't feel strange. Have been hearing it for 10 years now. They keep saying, I keep playing," Dhawan said in a pre-match press conference.
After winning the three-match ODI series against England, the Indian cricket team is off to the Tour of West Indies. The Rahul Dravid-coached team will play three ODIs and five T20Is against the Windies. As India look to get their combination right ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup, the tour to the Caribbean will be extra important. In the ODI series, most of the senior players have been rested with Shikhar Dhawan being the captain. During their journey to Caribbean, Dhawan made an insta-reel involving members of the squad.
Ahead of the first ODI against West Indies on Friday, India captain Shikhar Dhawan provided a big update on the fitness of Ravindra Jadeja, saying the all-rounder has a bit of a niggle right now and he does not know whether he will be fit to take the field in the first game. For the three-match ODIs, several regulars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested.
The Indian cricket team starts yet another tour, this time without the presence of many seniors, in the Caribbean islands on Friday. Led by Shikhar Dhwan, Team India faces West Indies in the first ODI of a three-match series in Port of Spain on Friday. The absence of players like Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant means there will be opportunities for the youngsters to grab the limelight. While rest of the playing XI looks settled, one major question is that who will be Dhawan's opening partner? India have a power-packed left-handed option in Ishan Kishan and a technically sound right-handed option in Ruturaj Gaikwad.
KL Rahul, senior India opener, has tested positive for COVID-19. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly informed about Rahul after the Board's Apex Council meeting in Mumbai on Thursday. Rahul underwent a surgery recently and had resumed his training at the NCA in Bengaluru. He was named in the T20I squad for the West Indies tour and supposed to take a fitness in a couple of days. With his COVID test returning positive, it remains to be seen whether he will travel to the West Indies or not. The T20I series starts on July 29 in Tadouba.