India make big changes for West Indies ODIs, Pant recalled, Rohit call pending
BCCI meets to finalise the India squad for the West Indies ODI series, with Rishabh Pant tipped for a recall and Rohit Sharma's place still undecided
Team India now face the challenge of a West Indies tour, scheduled from September 27 to October 17. The Caribbean side will play three ODIs on the tour, and the BCCI is expected to announce the Indian squad soon. Since the Asia Cup is being held during the same period, some T20 players could be left out of the ODI squad. Rishabh Pant is being tipped for a return to the ODI side after a long gap.
According to reports, the BCCI will hold a meeting today, September 16, to pick the Indian squad, at which the team for the West Indies series could be finalised. Shreyas Iyer, who bats at number four, will not play in the upcoming ODI series, as he is set to lead the T20 side at the Asia Cup.
KL Rahul has for a while now been the first-choice wicketkeeper in the ODI side and is likely to remain the first choice for the West Indies series as well. However, with Ishan Kishan busy with the Asia Cup, Rishabh Pant could be picked as the reserve wicketkeeper, though he will face competition for the spot from Dhruv Jurel.
During the England series, the selection committee had made it clear to Rohit Sharma that he would not figure in the 2027 World Cup plans. After failing in the first two matches, Rohit had played a historic innings of 138 runs at Lord's. A final decision on Rohit's place is likely to be taken at the meeting on Wednesday. If Rohit is picked for the West Indies series, it will be seen as almost certain that he will play in the 2027 ODI World Cup. With just a year left for the World Cup, whether Rohit continues to play for India going forward will become clear only after the BCCI's announcement.
There is also talk of Hardik Pandya's return. He has not played any competitive matches since IPL 2026 and suffered a fresh foot injury just before the T20 series against Afghanistan. A few days ago, the BCCI included Hardik in the India A squad for the series against Australia A, though his participation in that series will depend on a fitness clearance.
Even if Hardik is declared fit for that series, he is set to return only on October 6. By then, the ODI series between India and West Indies will be over and the T20 series will have begun, making it unlikely that Hardik will play against West Indies. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal could pair up again. In the ongoing ODI Cup in England, Chahal has taken 15 wickets in seven matches. The final of that tournament will be played on September 20.
India's likely ODI squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rishabh Pant, Rajat Patidar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav.
