India vs West Indies 2019: India's ideal XI for the ODI series

After emerging victorious in the recently concluded T20 series, Team India will now play a three-match ODI series against the Caribbean team. This will be India's last series in 2019, and they will be looking to continue their good form and finish the year on a high.

The ODI series will kick off on 15 December at Chennai where the two teams will square off in the first ODI. The itinerary of the three-match ODI series is as follows:

1st ODI - Dec 15 (Sunday) | Venue - Chennai | Start time - 2:00 PM (IST)

2nd ODI - Dec 18 (Wednesday) | Venue - Vizag | Start time - 2:00 PM (IST)

3rd ODI - Dec 22 (Sunday) | Venue - Cuttack | Start time - 2:00 PM (IST)

Earlier this year, Team India played an ODI series in West Indies and won it comfortably by a 2-0 margin.

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India's middle-order looked fragile throughout the World Cup, and that was one of the major reasons behind the team's eventual exit in the semi-finals. The team management might have found a temporary solution to the problem as Shreyas Iyer scored consistently in the middle order during the last ODI series, but it remains to be seen whether it's a permanent solution.

This is going to be a crucial series for the likes of Rishabh Pant, Manish Pandey, and Shivam Dube. They will be looking to score consistently and cement their position in the middle order.

On that note, here is India's ideal ODI XI for the series against West Indies:

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Openers - Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul

KL Rahul

The regular opener Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of the series due to an injury. KL Rahul will in all likelihood partner Rohit Sharma at the top of the order in the upcoming three-match series.

Rahul and Rohit recently put on a scintillating 135-run opening partnership in the 3rd T20I. They will look to continue the same form and provide India with good starts in the ODI series.

Rohit has been in sensational form in ODIs this year. He will be looking to finish off the calendar year on a high by scoring a few match-winning knocks in the upcoming series.

Rahul meanwhile will try to put on consistent performances and strengthen his claims for a permanent spot in the ODI XI.

Reserve opener Mayank Agarwal might get a chance only in case of an injury to any player.

Middle Order - Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube

Rishabh Pant will look to score consistently in the middle order

Termed by many as the best ODI batsman of this generation, Virat Kohli will walk in to bat at his patented number 3 position. After a couple of impressive performances, Shreyas Iyer will in all likelihood get a longer rope in the team.

Iyer has not only shown the ability to rotate the strike well in the middle overs, but he can also play attacking cricket when the situation demands. His versatility makes him the perfect candidate for the number 4 position in the current lineup.

Rishabh Pant will bat at the number 5 position and will be the designated wicketkeeper of the side. Manish Pandey and Shivam Dube will fight it out for the last spot in the batting line-up, but due to his all-round abilities Dube might be preferred.

The team management has been looking for power hitters to beef up their lower middle order, and Dube might be the latest player to audition for this role.

Lower order - Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal

Shami and Chahal will look to cement their positions

Ravindra Jadeja will be the team's leading all-rounder in the absence of Hardik Pandya. He along with Shivam Dube will provide much-needed balance to both the bowling and batting line-ups.

Mohammed Shami has been one of India's best bowlers in Test cricket for a while now. He will look to replicate that kind of form in the ODIs too and cement his spot in the XI. Shami will spearhead the bowling attack during the upcoming series.

After missing international cricket in the period since the end of the World Cup in July, Bhuvneshwar Kumar made a comeback to the Indian team during the recently concluded T20I series. But he is set to miss the ODI series due to a groin injury.

Deepak Chahar will in all likelihood replace Bhuvi in the XI and will partner Shami in the pace department.

Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will handle the spin bowling department along with the seasoned campaigner Jadeja.

Ideal XI: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav