India’s fringe players are set for another round of opportunities when the ODIs versus the West Indies get underway at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain on Friday.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya regaining form and producing his ‘A’ game in the recently-concluded England tour was one of India’s biggest gains as they look to bolster their bench strength and add more options in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup in Australia this October-November.

Next year’s 50-over World Cup will also be on the back of their minds. But with Pandya available only from the T20I leg of the tour beginning July 29, the team management would certainly want those cricketers who were unable to perform in England or didn’t get a chance in the XI to make a meaningful contribution.

Batting-wise, these three ODIs provide an opportunity for both Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad to impress the team management as well as the national selectors and brighten their prospects of a berth in the T20 Cup squad. But whether both batsmen can together feature in the XI remains to be seen.

Given India’s squad composition, either Kishan or Gaikwad could be partnering captain Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order, with Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Hooda to follow.

The No.3 slot could well be an interesting one. Given Deepak Hooda’s current form, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise if he’s elevated to that position. Sanju Samson, impressive in the Ireland T20Is, and Shubman Gill too would be eager to feature in the XI in at least one of the three matches.

If KL Rahul, having tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, fails to recover in time for the Windies T20Is, it could well provide a few more opportunities to those batsmen who are yet to establish their places in the team.

In terms of bowling, leftarm quick Arshdeep Singh deserves a chance in the XI if he has recovered from the abdominal strain that kept him out during the England ODIs. The way Arshdeep had bottled up a top-order batsman like Jason Roy with his swing, the youngster is expected to do even better against a struggling Windies batting group.

Pacer Mohammed Siraj and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal appear to be automatic choices in the XI, while India have to decide whether they should continue with Prasidh Krishna or draft in seamer all-rounder Shardul Thakur.

Jadeja uncertain

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, it was learnt, has sustained a knee injury. That makes him doubtful for the entire ODI series. In that case, fellow leftarm spinner Axar Patel could be Jadeja’s obvious replacement.

Skipper Dhawan nowadays is considered only for the 50-over format. The last time he featured in a T20I was a year ago during the tour of Sri Lanka. But what happens if the 36-year-old left-hander makes it big with a good strike rate in these three ODIs?

Will people who matter in the Indian cricket fraternity still be able to snub Dhawan and continue to ignore him from T20I cricket?

For Dhawan, though, facing the current Windies bowling attack could be the perfect platform to regain his touch. And if he does manage to do so, that certainly will make matters tricky for the team management and the Chetan Sharma-led selection panel before the T20 Cup squad gets finalised.

Dhawan has nothing to lose at present and should thus be fully focused on playing his natural game and expressing himself.

WI coach’s faith

Captain Nicholas Pooran and his teammates were mediocre with the bat in their recent home one-dayers versus Bangladesh. But on good wickets, they will do much better, believes Windies head coach Phil Simmons.

“I think you judge people on good wickets. We had good performances in the Netherlands and in Pakistan. But when we get indifferent wickets at home, where the guys have to fight for runs, I can’t really fault the batters. “These wickets at (Queen’s Park Oval) look good.”

T20Is vs Aus begin on Sept.20

Mohali, Nagpur and Hyderabad will host the T20I series against Australia in September as part of India’s preparations for the World Cup next month. The matches will be held on September 20, 23 and 25. This series will be followed by another three T20Is versus South Africa. Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati and Indore will host the matches on September 28, October 1 and 3.

South Africa are also slated to play three ODIs. Calcutta was supposed to host one of the matches but it was shelved since the dates clash with Durga Puja and the ongoing renovation at Eden Gardens. The ODIs will be held in Ranchi, Lucknow and Delhi on October 6, 9 and 11. At the apex council meeting in Mumbai on Thursday, the BCCI also discussed the 2022-23 domestic season. The Duleep Trophy is likely to from September 8, while the Ranji Trophy could start in the second week of December.