India's Strongest ODI XI vs West Indies: Shubman Gill To Include Auqib Nabi?

India's strongest XI vs West Indies for ODIs [Source: AFP]

On Wednesday, September 16, the BCCI selection committee named India's ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against West Indies. Under Shubman Gill's leadership, the Indian team will resume its preparations for the 2027 World Cup with this home series. 

The India ODI squad vs West Indies comprises experienced campaigners like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja. Auqib Nabi and Naman Dhir earned their maiden ODI call-ups, with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Dhruv Jurel replacing Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, who are unavailable for the West Indies series due to their participation in the Asian Games 2026. 

As the Men in Blue prepare for the highly anticipated series, here we analyse their squad to determine India's strongest ODI XI vs West Indies. 

Openers and Top Order: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli

(Gill, Rohit and Kohli's ODI record at respective batting positions)

Shubman Gill has had a rough start as the Indian ODI captain, managing only six wins in 12 games. However, as evidenced by the above stats, Gill has an impeccable record as an ODI opener and would like to extend his purple patch after hammering 188 runs in three matches on the England tour. 

Rohit Sharma has formed the fourth-most successful Indian opening pair with Gill in ODIs. The duo has slammed 2640 runs at an average of 64.39 at the top order. Rohit, who kept his ODI career alive with a valiant century at Lord's, is the first-choice opener over the young Yashasvi Jaiswal in India's strongest ODI XI vs West Indies. 

Virat Kohli has been an absolute champion of the One-Day format and a force to reckon with the bat at number three. The talismanic right-hander will be looking forward to maximising home advantage and putting up an impactful performance. 

Middle order and allrounders: Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja

With Shreyas Iyer leading the Asian Games T20I squad, Ruturaj Gaikwad enters India's strongest ODI XI vs West Indies as the number four batter. Gaikwad has batted twice at number four in ODIs, scoring 113 runs at an average of 56.5 and a strike rate of 116.49. 

Also Read: List Of Changes In India’s ODI Squad For West Indies As Compared To England

KL Rahul is the backbone of India's ODI batting lineup, having amassed 2420 runs at an average of 53.78 in the middle-order. Thus, he makes it into India's strongest ODI XI vs West Indies as the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter ahead of Dhruv Jurel. 

Hardik Pandya's long injury layoff strengthens the probability of Nitish Kumar Reddy's inclusion in India's strongest ODI XI vs West Indies as the seam-bowling allrounder. Reddy, who recently bagged the Player of The Match award for his bowling excellence in the third T20I between India and Afghanistan, has 100 runs and two wickets in six matches. 

Veteran allrounder Ravindra Jadeja gets a golden opportunity to redeem his ODI career after managing a single wicket in his last six innings. Overall, he has struck 2905 runs and taken 232 wickets in 210 matches. 

Bowlers: Auqib Nabi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Auqib Nabi has an impressive List-A record, bagging 56 wickets in 30 innings. Besides swinging the new ball up front in the powerplay, Nabi can add depth to the Indian batting lineup, having amassed 572 runs at a superb strike rate of 111.71. 

Kuldeep Yadav is India's first-choice spinner in ODI cricket. The seasoned veteran makes it into India's strongest ODI XI vs West Indies for being the second-most successful Indian bowler since January 2024 with 26 wickets in 18 matches. 

In Jasprit Bumrah's absence, Mohammed Siraj leads the pace attack in India's strongest ODI XI vs West Indies. The ace speedster has 76 wickets in 49 ODI innings and could have his final shot at the 2027 World Cup. 

Prasidh Krishna outperformed Gurnoor Brar in the India vs England ODI series. While Brar collected 4 wickets at an abysmal economy of 7.75, Prasidh was the most successful pacer from the touring side, scalping five wickets at an economy of 5.86. Therefore, he pips Gurnoor Brar in the selection race for India's strongest ODI XI vs West Indies. 

India's strongest ODI XI vs West Indies

Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Auqib Nabi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

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