West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran won the toss and opted to field first in the first One-Day International against India at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain on Friday.
The visitors were dealt a blow heading into the game as all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, vice captain for the series, was ruled out of the first two ODIs of the three-match series due to an injury to his right knee.
West Indies vs India: Shikhar Dhawan-led visitors pose tough challenge for Nicholas Pooran and Co
“Jadeja has sustained an injury to his right knee and has been ruled out of the first two ODIs against West Indies. The BCCI Medical team is monitoring his progress and a decision on his participation in the third ODI will be taken accordingly,” stated the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
West Indies, too, faced a setback as star all-rounder Jason Holder missed out on the first ODI after testing positive for Covid-19 ahead of the game, according to captain Nicholas Pooran at the toss.
Shubman Gill made a comeback to India’s ODI XI along with Shardul Thakur, with captain Shikhar Dhawan saying at the toss that he would have liked to field first too.
India are playing the series without regular skipper Rohit Sharma and stars like Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul (who has reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 after a period out due to injury and surgery).
Playing XIs for 1st ODI
India: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (w), Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna.
West Indies: Shai Hope (w), Brandon King, Shamarh Brooks, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran (c), Rovman Powell, Akeal Hosein, Romario Shepherd, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales.
WI vs IND ODIs
| Sr. No. | Day | Date | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friday | 22nd July | 1st ODI | Port of Spain |
| 2 | Sunday | 24th July | 2nd ODI | Port of Spain |
| 3 | Wednesday | 27th July | 3rd ODI | Port of Spain |
India’s full squad for 3 ODIs: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Ravindra Jadeja (vice-captain), Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
