Taroba: India defeated West Indies (India vs West Indies ODI Series) by 200 runs in the third and last one-day cricket match to win the series 2-1 but many questions remain unresolved regarding the team composition ahead of the World Cup. Skipper Rohit Sharma and senior batsman Virat Kohli once again gave chances to potential players for the World Cup by staying out but the team combination does not seem to be working even after doing all the experiments. The bat of Shubman Gill, who remained silent till now, finally spoke and he scored 85 runs in 92 balls. Along with this, also shared a 143-run partnership with Ishaan Kishan (77 runs in 63 balls).
India scored 351 runs for five wickets when sent to bat first. Sanju Samson made a 41-ball 51 to stake his claim for the middle order. Captain Hardik Pandya scored an unbeaten 70 off 52 balls with the help of five sixes and four fours. In response, the Caribbean team was dismissed for 151 runs in 35.3 overs. Mukesh Kumar took three wickets for 30 runs in seven overs. For the West Indies, Gudakesh Moti scored 39 not out and Alzarri Joseph scored 26 runs and added 55 runs for the ninth wicket.
Shardul Thakur took four wickets for 37 runs in 6.3 overs. Jaydev Unadkat got one and Kuldeep Yadav got two wickets. Despite this, many questions remain unanswered ahead of the Asia Cup and the World Cup. For example, Ishaan’s performance was good but if KL Rahul is fit then what will be his batting order? The chances of Rohit Sharma leaving his batting order for Ishaan are slim. Will it be okay if Ishan is dropped in the middle order?
If Shreyas Iyer is not fit, then Samson can land at number four. But despite getting full-time, he failed to play big innings yesterday. Suryakumar Yadav was also dismissed after scoring 35 runs and failing to show T20 form in ODIs. With both Shreyas and Rahul fit, it will be difficult for them to make a place in the team. Even in bowling, Yuzvendra Chahal was not given a chance in a single match.
Now before the World Cup, India has to play only nine matches (if the team reaches the Asia Cup final). Ravindra Jadeja is the first choice spinner which leaves room for Axar Patel. On the other hand, it will be difficult to find a place for Mukesh Kumar in the presence of Jaspreet Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul.
