West Indies vs India 2019: 5 youngsters to watch out for

Post all the World Cup action, India will tour West Indies for a series comprising 3 T20Is, 3 ODIs and, 2 Test matches. A series win for the Men in Blue would give them optimism as they head forward in their preparation for the World T20 in October next year.

West Indies, on the other hand, need the series win since they had a dismal World Cup campaign and coming into the series with the tag of World T20 defending champions, defeating a top team like India would be a huge morale booster for them.

This post World Cup season will be very interesting as it serves as the start of a major rebuilding process for each team. A number of young players will certainly look to build on the opportunity given to them, in order to cement their place in the senior side in the next few years.

There are quite a number of youngsters to watch out for in India’s tour of the West Indies 2019. These players would love to give their best and prove themselves as potential match winners.

Here is a look at five players who will be keen to make an impact.

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#5 Shimron Hetmyer

Shimron Hetmyer

Shimron Hetmyer was the highest ODI run-getter for West Indies when they toured India in 2018. In that series, Hetmyer scored 259 ODI runs, including a century. The matured batting he exhibited earned him an IPL contract with the Royal Challengers Bangalore for IPL 2019.

Certainly, if Hetmyer can perform well in the unfamiliar Indian conditions, then there is nothing stopping him at home. The 22-year-old has solid records in both the domestic and franchise cricket and was the captain of the West Indies U19 team which won the 2016 U19 World Cup.

The southpaw has both the leadership and batting skills to light up the tournament. The 2019 World Cup didn’t go too well for Hetmyer as a batsman and so he will be hungry to put forth a major statement against India to make up for that mediocre campaign.

#4 Navdeep Saini

Navdeep Saini

Navdeep Saini can clock speeds of 150-152 kph consistently and is one of the fastest Indian bowlers set to feature in this tour. The 26-year-old was the second-highest wicket-taker for India A in the recent 5-match unofficial ODI series that was conducted in West Indies and will bank on the familiarity with the conditions to make an impact.

Prior to his selection, Saini picked up 11 wickets in 13 matches during IPL 2019 and was a bright spot in RCB’s disappointing campaign. One can expect Virat Kohli to play Saini as a trump card and with the pacer gifted with the ability to trouble the best of batsmen with his pace, he will be an X-factor for India.

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#3 Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer

India would try to fit Shreyas Iyer into the playing XI in the middle order as it would be a suitable position for the youngster. The 24-year-old will learn a lot in international cricket while batting along with experienced batsmen like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

With over 2500 runs in domestic T20s, Iyer is a player to watch out for especially in the T20I series. This opportunity might well be an early audition by the management for the T20 World Cup 2020, and Iyer will certainly give his best to land a spot in the squad for the global tournament next year.

#2 Oshane Thomas

Oshane Thomas

With raw pace his biggest weapon, Oshane Thomas has a bright future ahead of him if he proves to be a consistent wicket-taker. The 22-year-old picked up nine wickets in nine matches during the 2019 World Cup and

Thomas' best bowling performance was against Pakistan in the World Cup where he wreaked havoc against them using his raw pace and snatched four wickets. Facing a tough challenge from a top team like India might bring out such a best performance from him.

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#1 Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant

Rishab Pant has a massive role to play in the series as he has been handed the responsibility of donning the gloves in all three formats of the game. Additionally, with the likes of MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya rested from the series, the onus will be on Pant to slot into the role of a finisher as well.

The 21-year-old used the Indian Premier League as a platform perfectly to catch the attention of the selectors with his excellent performances. However, the real challenge for Pant starts with the West Indies tour, where he will need to mix his game with patience and aggression that could have a massive say on the outcome of each game.