Second string Indian side that could be selected for the ODI series against West Indies

Team India will look to move on from the disappointment of the World Cup semi-final as they begin the tour of West Indies early next month. The Indian team will play 3 T20s, 3 ODIs and 2 Tests against West Indies.

Speaking about the team selection for ODIs, the selectors are likely to name a second-string side that will be without the likes of Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. Kohli and Bumrah are key players for India across formats and have been playing non-stop cricket for quite some time now. Also, the two Tests will be a part of the inaugural Test Championship and thus Kohli and Bumrah might be given a much-needed break. In Kohli's absence, vice-captain Rohit Sharma is likely to lead the side.

Other players who can be given time to rejuvenate are Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Both Hardik and Bhuvi have had troubles with injuries in the recent past and they might be given time to work on their fitness.

Absence of these players will provide an opportunity for fringe players to try and cement a place in the team. Here is a second-string Indian side that could be selected for the ODI series against West Indies.

Openers

Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal

Rohit was excellent with the bat in World Cup 2019

Rohit Sharma was in sensational form in the World Cup and was the leading run-scorer of the tournament. Rohit has been one of the most successful captains in the IPL. With the selectors reportedly considering split captaincy, Rohit would know that a series win against West Indies will make his case much stronger.

Shikhar Dhawan still hasn't recovered from his thumb injury which means KL Rahul will continue opening the innings with Rohit. Mayank Agarwal was called up as a replacement for Dhawan in the World Cup and is likely to be persisted with for the West Indies series.

Also see - India vs West Indies 2019 Teams & Squads

Middle-order

Shubman Gill, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer

Can Manish Pandey and Shreyas Iyer solve India's middle-order woes?

India's middle-order batting woes were once again exposed at the World Cup. Now that the World Cup is done and dusted, the selectors might want to give a long rope to a few players. With Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav likely to be dropped after their lacklustre performances in the World Cup and Virat Kohli likely to be rested, there are a lot of vacant spots in the middle-order. Shreyas Iyer has been around for a while but hasn't been given enough chances to prove his mettle. The Mumbai batsman can be a long-term number 4 prospect for Team India.

Manish Pandey is also in contention for a spot in the middle-order. Pandey struck form in the latter stages of the IPL and is currently leading the India A side in West Indies. Shubman Gill, who made his debut against New Zealand early this year, is also likely to be picked. Gill has delivered some eye-catching innings in the domestic circuit and is rated highly by former cricketers and experts alike.

Wicket-keeper, All-rounders

Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel

Rishabh Pant is likely to replace MS Dhoni

The selectors will have to take a huge call regarding MS Dhoni's future in the Indian team. The former India skipper is yet to make any announcement about his retirement and it will be interesting to see whether the selectors pick him for the ODI or T20 series. If Dhoni is not picked, he might be replaced by Rishabh Pant behind the stumps. There is no doubt about Pant's pedigree as a power-hitter but he will need to be more consistent.

Ravindra Jadeja is set to be India's first-choice all-rounder as Hardik Pandya is likely to be rested. Jadeja would take confidence from his World Cup semi-final heroics.

There will be a toss-up between Krunal Pandya and Axar Patel for the second all-rounder's spot. While Krunal might be preferred in T20s, Axar can get a nod in the ODIs.

Spinners

Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar

Washington Sundar might make a comeback to the ODI side

Kuldeep Yadav had a disappointing World Cup 2019 and might not be included in the Indian ODI side. Kuldeep went into the World Cup on the back of a poor IPL season and lost his place in the playing XI after some below-par outings. It will be a good time for Kuldeep to work on his game and come back stronger in the Test series.

In Kuldeep's absence, Yuzvendra Chahal is likely to lead the spin-attack. With the likes of Shreyas Gopal and Rahul Chahar putting up good performances, Chahal will know that he will have to keep putting up keep performing at a high level to keep his place in the side.

Washington Sundar, who faded away after a promising start to his international career, can be given another opportunity to prove his worth. There are a lot of left-handers in the West Indies batting line-up and an off-spinner can come in handy against them.

Fast bowlers

Mohammad Shami, Khaleel Ahmed, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar

Khaleel Ahmed has been impressive against West Indies A

With Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar set to be rested for the limited-overs fixtures of the West Indies tour, it will be a good chance for the Indian selectors to test their bench strength.

In the absence of Bumrah and Bhuvi, Mohammad Shami will be the senior-most seamer in the squad. Shami was in a good wicket-taking form in the World Cup and will fancy his chances against an unstable West Indies batting line-up.

Navdeep Saini was mighty impressive in the IPL and was also named as standby for the World Cup. The Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer could make his international debut in West Indies. Deepak Chahar and Khaleel Ahmed are also set to make comebacks in the ODI side. While Deepak Chahar has been a consistent performer in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings in the past two seasons, Khaleel Ahmed is currently among the wickets in the ongoing India A's tour of West Indies.