India continue to be dominant force in the limited-overs cricket with another clean sweep in ODIs and this time vs West Indies in their backyard.

The fact that they did it without Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya tells a thing or two about their bench strength. However, one must not forget that Windies were not as bad as the result of the series may make them look like. The first two ODIs were closely fought and saw last-over finishes.

They are a side in transition as far as ODIs are concerned and they got many positives from the series in form of Kyle Mayers and Brandon King. The action now moves to the Brian Lara cricket stadium in Trinidad for the first T20 and this is where the excitement gets doubled.

This is a T20 World Cup year. With 5 games in this series, both teams will have a chance to try out as many players as possible. Windies may have lost the ODI series 3-0, but I am sure they will be a much more threatening in the T20s and the result would be different than the ODIs. The two-time Champions take a lot of pride in this format of the game and play a brand of cricket only a few countries can match in the world.

Like I have said in the past, I am a big fan of Nicholas Pooran, who is a global T20 star, popular all over the world for his destructive batting. Dominic Drakes is another exciting talent coming up and then there are the Rovman Powells and Mayers and Brooks to look out for.

Pant opening the innings opens another option for India

It is good news for India that they have got some of the big players back in Rohit, Pant, Hardik and Dinesh Karthik. It is unfortunate that KL Rahul won’t be fit enough to take his place in the XI because of Covid. It looks to me that Rishabh Pant will continue to open the batting, which I think is an intriguing and interesting proposition. I saw it first hand in England and I liked the idea of him opening in this format. He will have to, of course, make way for Rahul when he is fit, but for now it creates another option and I think a really good one. He is an incredibly talented player and he puts the bowlers on back foot straight away. I quite like that idea. It is going to be interesting how that unfolds in the upcoming 5 matches.

I am a huge DK fan too. I am assuming that he is going to get a chance to continue the good work he has done in the IPL as a finisher. And I hope that he continues to do that for his own sake too because his role in the side may be ideal but if he does not perform in these 5 games, he might miss out on the plane to the World Cup. The competition is so stiff.

Deepak Hooda is another batter who is very likeable. He is doing a great job, is in awesome touch. This is another important series for him to continue making runs. With very little option at the top of the batting order, he knows he will need to deliver the goods consistently to continue being part of the side.

Kuldeep Yadav is back for India

I am eager to see how Kuldeep Yadav goes. He is coming into the side after recovering from a hand injury and it would be interesting to see whether he continues with the same IPL form or

not. In IPL, he bowled slightly quicker than before and had a terrific season as well. Expect him to play all five games with Yuzvendra Chahal not in the squad. Chahal will surely make it to the World Cup squad but his absence here gives an opportunity to Ravi Bishnoi, who is yet to impress selectors with his spin howling at the international stage.

Let’s not forget Arshdeep Singh, who did not get a chance to play in the ODIs. I hope he plays the T20s, alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel, who are a surety in the XI. Arshdeep is a terrific bowler and his presence adds a variety which is a huge plus for him.

Dravid bringing Paddy Upton in the mix is a brilliant move

BCCI have roped in Paddy Upton as the mental conditioning coach of the Indian cricket team and I believe this move is designed by India’s head coach Rahul Dravid, who has worked with him in the past for a long time. It sort of shows Dravid is an aware coach, who is up to date with the cricketing challenges of today. With Paddy in the support staff, he is ensuring the players don’t fact any mental fatigue as they more and more matches with such close fight for a spot in the XI.