India will lock horns against the West Indies in the first ODI of the three-match series on July 27 (Wednesday). The visitors are looking forward to settling their combination for the World Cup and accordingly, will be looking to give chances to fringe players with key players injured as well. In a latest development, Mohammed Siraj has also flown back home with Test specialists with sore ankle and that has opened up a slot for one of the fast bowlers in the squad.
There is every possibility of left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat getting a chance in this series now that only three bowlers apart from him are part of the squad - Shardul Thakur, Mukesh Kumar and Umran Malik. With Hardik Pandya also expected to bowl full tilt after resting for quite some time since the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Shardul likely to slot in at number eight, only two of Umran, Mukesh and Unadkat will get a chance.
If Unadkat makes it to the playing XI, he will be featuring for the first time in ODIs since November 21, 2013. He will play a 50-over game after a staggering gap of 3505 days and to be precise, after 9 years and 218 days. This is the longest gap between two appearances for an Indian player and Jaydev Unadkat will break Robin Singh's record who had returned to India's XI for the first time in seven years and 230 days.
Overall, in ODI history, Unadkat's gap between two ODIs will be 8th longest and will be going past England's Joe Denly who had played a 50-over game in 2019 after a gap of 9 years and 213 days.
India's probable playing XI for 1st ODI vs WI: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Umran Malik, Jaydev Unadkat
