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After a painful January, India would be heading home to host West Indies, hoping that a strong performance is delivered after an underwhelming South Africa tour that was filled with expectations.

About the Series

India are set to host West Indies in a three-match ODI series, followed by a three-match T20I series that will commence from February 6, stretching up to February 20, two weeks of intense cricketing action.

Let's have a look at the squad.

ODIs

India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan

West Indies: Kieron Pollard (c), Kemar Roach, Nkrumah Bonner, Brandon King, Fabien Allen, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shephard, Odean Smith, Hayden Walsh Jr.

T20Is

India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-captain), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Mohd. Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel.

West Indies are yet to reveal their T20I squad. However, we anticipate that we may not see many changes and maybe a couple of additions.

Analysis

The Cricket West Indies (CWI) selection panel announced the ODI squad and there were some exciting mentions as you must have noticed.

Kemar Roach, the pacer who played cricket for his nation in 2019 in the Cricket World Cup in England. Nkrumah Bonner, a middle-order batsman, and Brandon King, the opener, have also been recalled to the squad. Roach is close to playing 100 matches for West Indies, having picked 124 wickets in that time. 

Meanwhile, Bonner who made his debut a year ago has played just 3 matches, while Brandon King has played only 4 ODIs. 

For the hosts, Ravichandran Ashwin has been dropped from both formats due to an injury which means he won't be featuring in this series. Kuldeep Yadav has been recalled after a long time away from international cricket and he will be back alongside his spin partner Yuzvendra Chahal in ODIs.

Rohit Sharma, who did not feature in the tour of South Africa is back from a hamstring injury. Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah are set to miss the tour too as they are rested, while all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is in his final stage of recovery. Jadeja had gone through a knee injury and is likely to be fully fit for the IPL 2022 and the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Ravi Bishnoi also earned his maiden India call-up because the selectors and the team management see wrist-spin as a wicket-taking option in the middle-overs, and an area that needs serious emphasis after the failed T20 World Cup campaign and a similar outcome in the tour of South Africa too.

Schedule and Grounds 

The ODIs will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 6, 9, and 11, while the T20Is will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on February 16, 18, and 20.

Current Scenario 

While India sulks from the loss South Africa tour, West Indies are currently leading in the five-match T20 series against England at home by 2-1. The final T20I is set to be played on January 31 after which the Caribbean will directly leave for India.

After the tour, in March, West Indies played England again in a practice Test first, followed by a three-match Test series in West Indies.

What do you think? With Kohli, Sharma, and Rahul all available, will India domineer against West Indies or will the Caribbean make things tougher for India?

Some other important points that are noteworthy are that KL Rahul is likely to miss the first ODI and will be available from the second ODI. 

Also, the ODIs form part of the ICC ODI Super League and the West Indies will have the opportunity to win points to be one of the top seven teams, excluding hosts India, to gain automatic qualification for the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.

Stay tuned for more updates from Cricwizz.