West Indies v India: Captaincy carousel continues in ODI series

Shikhar Dhawan to lead side in the absence of star names in three-match series that begins on Friday

Shjikhar Dhawan, right, will lead India in the absence of Rohit Sharma during the ODI series against the West Indies. Reuters

A packed cricket calendar means India have flown to the Caribbean just four days after completing a full tour of UK.

The men in blue will be competing in a white-ball series against the West Indies, starting with the first of three ODIs in Port of Spain on Friday even as a majority of star players are unavailable.

Fresh from a 2-1 ODI series triumph in England, which followed a similar result in the preceding T20s, the visitors have opted to rest captain Rohit Sharma, key batsman Virat Kohli, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, all-rounder Hardik Pandya and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for this assignment.

That means players on the fringe will get a chance to play a full series against a quality team, which is rare for Indian cricketers.

Shikhar Dhawan will lead the side with the likes of batsmen Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, wicketkeepers Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and pacers Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh hoping to audition successfully for the first-choice team.

India win ODI series against England

Rishabh Pant celebrates reaching his century that helped India beat England at Old Trafford in the third ODI on Sunday, July 17, 2022. Getty

India's Rishabh Pant on the attack during his knock of 125 from 113 balls. AFP

India batsman Rishabh Pant is congratulated by teammates after hitting the winning runs at Old Trafford and sealing a 2-1 series victory for the tourists. Getty

India's Rishabh Pant hits out on his way to 125. PA

England's Craig Overton celebrates after taking the wicket of India batter Surya Yadav for 16. Getty

India's Hardik Pandya plays a shot on his way to his quickfire 71 off 55 balls. AFP

India batter Virat Kohli after being caught by England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler off the bowling of Reece Topley. Reuters

India's Virat Kohli walks back to the pavilion after losing his wicket for 17. AFP

England bowler Reece Topley celebrates after taking the wicket of India's Rohit Sharma for 17. Getty

England's Reece Topley celebrates after taking the wicket of India opener Shikhar Dhawan for one. Reuters

India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant catches out England's Moeen Ali for 34 off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja. Getty

India's Ravindra Jadeja celebrates catching out England captain Jos Buttler for 60. AFP

England captain Jos Buttler hits a four off the bowling of India's Mohammed Siraj. Reuters

India fielder Virat Kohli weaves at the crowd after the wicket of England batter Moeen Ali. Getty

India's Hardik Pandya takes the catch off his own bowling to dismiss England batsman Ben Stokes. Getty

England batter Ben Stokes after losing his wicket for 27. Getty

England opener Jason Roy hit 41 off 31 balls. Reuters

India bowler Mohammed Siraj celebrates after taking the wicket of Joe Root. Getty

England batsman Joe Root leaves the field after being dismissed for a duck. Getty

England batter Jonny Bairstow lofts the ball into the air before being caught by Shreyas Iyer of India for a duck. Getty

India's Mohammed Siraj and Virat Kohli celebrate the wicket of England opener Jonny Bairstow. Reuters

With Dhawan leading the 50-over side, India will see a seventh captain taking charge of the team in international cricket. The team's rotation policy, coupled with fitness issues, has meant regular changes to the leadership group. This year, Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah have captained the side.

West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran will be under pressure to turn his team's fortunes around with his team on a six-match losing streak.

"We have players quite capable of batting for long periods but we need to get it together and hold strong," West Indies coach Phil Simmons said.

"Players like [Shai] Hope and [Kyle] Mayers are Test batsmen so they have the temperament to bat right through the innings."

Pacer Mohammed Siraj and wrist-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal are expected to lead India's bowling attack.

For the home team, the one bit of encouraging news is the return of Jason Holder. Having been rested for series in the Netherlands, Pakistan and the visit by Bangladesh, the all-rounder and former captain will be looked to for inspiration with bat and ball.

All three ODI's will be played at Queen's Park Oval after which the teams switch format but stay in Trinidad for the first T20 International at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba. From there it's on to St Kitts for two games before the five-match T20 series concludes in the US with two fixtures at Lauderhill in Florida.