WI ODI selection meeting: Will selectors pick Hardik, show faith in Rishabh Pant

A white-ball lifeline for Rishabh Pant and a possible inclusion of a fit-again Hardik Pandya will be the focal points of discussion when the national selectors pick the ODI and T20I squads for the home series against West Indies here on Wednesday.

India will play three ODIs and five T20Is against the West Indies. While the T20I squad is almost expected to be a mirror image of the Asian Games squad, with the matches starting from October 6, the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar does have a job at hand to pick the 50-over squad from the options available.

Incidentally, Agarkar, who will be in Delhi for the team selection meeting, is likely to have a discussion with “decision makers” in the board on whether he will be given an extension till the end of the 2027 ODI World Cup. Pandya’s scheduled return to competitive cricket is September 20, as he has already been picked for India A’s three-match One Day series against Australia A in Puducherry from October 6. However, the West Indies ODIs start in Thiruvananthapuram from September 27 and it will be up to the selection panel to decide whether Pandya is ready to bowl 10 overs and field for 50 overs straight away in a full international game.

The lack of seam-bowling all-rounders is an issue for selection committee if Pandya is unavailable. The second option, Nitish Kumar Reddy, will be in Japan playing the Asian Games during the ODI series.

The third and fourth options — Suryansh Shedge and Venkatesh Iyer are currently injuries.

Pant’s indifferent IPL form saw him lose Test vice-captaincy and also a place in the white-ball sides but with Ishan Kishan in Japan, the flamboyant southpaw might just get a look-in in the squad of 15, with KL Rahul being the first-choice ODI keeper. Rahul is also likely to be Shubman Gill’s deputy in absence of Shreyas Iyer. In case Pant misses the bus, then selectors will go for Dhruv Jurel and send Pant to lead Rest of India in the Irani Cup.

With Iyer on Asian Games duty, Ruturaj Gaikwad is expected to take the No 4 slot in the line-up after skipper Gill, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Yashasvi Jaiswal will be the reserve opener, while reserve middle-order batter, in all likelihood, will be Rajat Patidar.

Both Gaikwad and Patidar are also supposed to play for India A after the West Indies ODIs, with the former leading the team.