With Rohit Sharma's Team India is all set to resume their preparations for the World Cup in the upcoming West Indies series, former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer has revealed his ideal playing XI for the 1st One Day International (ODI) between the former world champions. Rohit's Team India has arrived in Barbados after registering a comfortable 1-0 series win over the West Indies in the 2023-2025 cycle of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC).
Hosts West Indies are scheduled to lock horns with India in a three-match One Day International (ODI) series. The curtain-raiser of the three-match series will take place on Thursday at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. Taking to Twitter on the eve of the 1st ODI between the two teams, ex-India opener Jaffer shared his playing XI. Jaffer, who played 31 Tests and 3 ODIs for India, preferred Sanju Samson over Ishan Kishan in the Indian playing XI.
With skipper Rohit set to open the innings with premier batter Shubman Gill, Jaffer gave Virat Kohli his designated No.3 batting position. The ex-India opener and full-time cricket pundit handed Samson the No.4 batting spot ahead of middle-order batters Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. According to Jaffer, superstars Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel will be India's spin-bowling all-rounders while pace attack can feature the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Umran Malik.
{{/usCountry}}With skipper Rohit set to open the innings with premier batter Shubman Gill, Jaffer gave Virat Kohli his designated No.3 batting position. The ex-India opener and full-time cricket pundit handed Samson the No.4 batting spot ahead of middle-order batters Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. According to Jaffer, superstars Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel will be India's spin-bowling all-rounders while pace attack can feature the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Umran Malik.
{{/usCountry}}India have recalled power-hitter Samson in its ODI squad for the West Indies tour. In the absence of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, Samson is one of two wicketkeepers picked by India alongside Kishan. Pacer Mukesh Kumar, who received his debut cap in the West Indies Test series, is also a part of the ODI squad.
Despite making his international debut in 2017, Samson has only played 11 ODIs for the Asian giants. The star batter has scored 330 ODI runs in 10 innings. Averaging 66.00, Samson has smashed two half-centuries for India in ODIs. The Rajasthan Royals (RR) had famously notched up a match-changing half-century against West Indies at Port-of-Spain last year.
Wasim Jaffer's India XI for the first ODI vs West Indies:
1. Rohit, 2. Gill, 3. Kohli, 4. Sanju (wk), 5. Hardik, 6. Suryakumar 7. Jadeja, 8. Axar, 9. Kuldeep, 10. Siraj, 11. Umran.
India's squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Jaydev Unadkat, Mukesh Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad.