NAT ANDREAE casts his eye over the upcoming ODI series between West Indies and India
It would be fair to say that missing out on the ODI World Cup this year is one of the lowest points in the history of West Indian cricket.
Going into the qualification rounds among the favourites, the Windies only just made it through to the Super Six after finishing third in their group before a resounding loss to Scotland confirmed their failure to qualify.
Ironically, the first team they are facing after their disappointing failure are the same team who will host the World Cup that they are missing, India. It will be interesting to see how West Indies bounce back from their disappointment against a side to whom they have lost every series since 2006.
Jason Holder called for togetherness during the rebuild that will occur in the wake of the disappointment, but it will be intriguing to see whether this side can wrestle back some pride against the 2011 ODI World Cup winners.
Umran Malik is set to feature for India (Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images)
Suryakumar Yadav will be hoping to rediscover his confidence on the back of three consecutive first-ball ducks. If he can't, then it's hard to see many more opportunities, given the strength in India's batting depth.
Ishan Kishan will likely take the gloves in the absence of Pant, but he is realistically competing against Sanju Samson for a spot in the middle order, with Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma nailed on as openers.
Gill will have the chance to continue the brilliant start to his ODI career, having averaged 65.55 in his first 24 innings with four centuries and a high score of 208.
Virat Kohli leads India's middle order (Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images)
India will also be missing their two senior fast bowlers, with Jasprit Bumrah still not ready to play having had surgery on a back injury that was causing him trouble in the back end of last year and Mohammed Shami asking for a "complete rest" from the West Indies tour, according to Indian Express. Mohammad Siraj has also been ruled out, with the BCCI managing his workloads.
The most likely beneficiary of those absences is speedster Umran Malik. Having played in the ODI series against New Zealand, Malik appears to be the first fast bowler in the queue.
If they are looking for more variety in their attack, then India could turn to Jaydev Unadkat. Having not played in the ODI team since 2013, Unadkat has just broken back into the Test team on this tour 13 years on from his debut int the format.
Offering something different to the searing pace of Malik, Unadkat could provide variety for an otherwise fairly homogenous attack by providing a left-arm seam option. Mukesh Kumar is the other option.
West Indies come into the series on the back of missing out on World Cup qualification (Karim Sahib/AFP via Getty Images)
India have the opportunity to win their 10th ODI in a row against West Indies in the second ODI in Bridgetown, Barbados. Having won their previous eight, including two 3-0 series victories in 2022, one at home and one away, India will be hoping to win 10 in a row against their ailing hosts.
The only time such a feat has been achieved between these two sides is when the great West Indies team of the '80s beat India in 11 ODIs in a row between 1987 and 1989.
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