3 major concerns for Team India in ODI cricket after the West Indies series

On the ODI calendar, only the Asia Cup and a three-match series against Australia stand between Team India and the 2023 World Cup. The Men in Blue are running out of time to finalize their plans for the marquee ICC event, the importance of which has increased even more because of it being held at home.

In the recent ODI series against West Indies, India were without a few of their biggest names. While that definitely played a part in their sub-par performances, they were far from their best even otherwise, especially in the first two matches. The series opener ended in a tense win, with the second game being an unconvincing defeat.

India will, no doubt, be a better side when they are at full strength. However, the ideal compositions of their World Cup squad and playing XI are still up in the air, with a few pertinent questions to be asked in the immediate future.

Here are three major concerns for Team India in ODI cricket after the West Indies series.

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#3 The Suryakumar Yadav vs Sanju Samson debate hasn't been settled yet

New Zealand v India - 2nd ODI

Without Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, who missed the assignment with injury, India tried out various options in the middle order. Among those, Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson are the frontrunners to replace either Shreyas or Rahul if they don't recover in time.

However, the West Indies series didn't give a clear indication of which player is ahead in the pecking order. Suryakumar made 78 runs in the series over three innings, while Samson failed in the second ODI before playing a superb knock in the decider.

Although Samson has been the more consistent batter in ODI cricket and deserves a proper run, he might not be able to perform the finisher's role in the way Suryakumar's talents are being looked at. Moreover, SKY clearly has the faith of the team management, who have backed him through his ongoing lean patch.

Samson might have inched ahead for now, but the debate between him and Suryakumar hasn't been officially settled yet.

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#2 India haven't made much progress when it comes to their backup fast bowlers

England v India - 1st Royal London Series One Day International

Jasprit Bumrah has been on the sidelines for almost a year and has dealt with a recurrent back injury. It remains to be seen if he can get back to his best during the Ireland T20I series, for which he has been appointed the captain.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Shami has been rested from the West Indies tour and Mohammed Siraj flew back home after an ankle niggle he suffered during the Test series. Shardul Thakur played the ODIs and did well, presumably establishing himself as the fourth fast bowler.

However, Bumrah's recovery needs to be watched keenly and Shami's status is not entirely clear. If India need some of their backup pacers to step up ahead of or during the World Cup, who will it be?

Umran Malik was discarded for the third ODI, which was the first game Jaydev Unadkat played in the format for almost a decade. Prasidh Krishna is only just recovering from an injury, while Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan don't seem to be in the mix. Mukesh Kumar is still raw and doesn't have much international experience.

India had a chance to finalize their pace-bowling reserves during the West Indies series, but their rotations and utilization of their bowlers failed to achieve that objective.

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#1 The Men in Blue don't have settled options at No. 4, No. 6, and No. 7

India v Australia - 2nd ODI

If Shreyas and Rahul are fit and available, they will probably slot in at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively. Without them, though, India have a lot of questions and no real answers.

Hardik Pandya has shown a propensity to take time to get his eye in and hasn't always been able to accelerate at the death in the recent past. No. 6 might not be his ideal spot, and him batting higher would leave the Men in Blue without reliable options below him.

Ravindra Jadeja's finishing ability has dwindled, while Suryakumar Yadav hasn't been able to make an impression in any position. Samson has been quite consistent, but he might not get his ideal batting position when India field a full-strength side.

India experienced the pitfalls of not having a settled batting order heading into a World Cup in the last edition and need to be careful not to make the same mistake again. And that might completely hinge on whether Shreyas and Rahul make the grade.