Team India won the toss as returning skipper Rohit Sharma chose to bowl first in the iconic 1000th ODI for the Men in Blue. In the first match of the ODI series against West Indies being held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India will be hoping to end their five-match losing streak.
There will be plenty of changes in the Indian team, with various players infected with Covid, and some players still in quarantine, the likes of Ishan Kishan and Deepak Hooda will feature for India. Hooda makes his debut in Team India colours today.
Here is how India and West Indies are lining up today:
India XI: R Sharma (c), I Kishan, V Kohli, R Pant (wk), S Yadav, D Hooda, S Thakur, W Sundar, M Siraj, Y Chahal, P Krishna
West Indies XI: B King, S Hope (wk), S Brooks, D Bravo, N Pooran, K Pollard (c), J Holder, F Allen, K Roach, A Hosein, A Joseph
With Shikhar Dhawan out with Covid, Ishan Kishan partners Rohit Sharma as an opener, Shreyas Iyer is also in quarantine, so Suryakumar Yadav retains his place from the last ODI India played against South Africa.
Deepak Hooda will join Shardul Thakur as a bowling all-rounder, while Mohammed Siraj has recovered from the hamstring issue, and will partner the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, and Prasiddh Krishna in the pace bowling department in place of Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah both of whom have been rested for the West Indies tour.
For the visitors, it's a very similar looking lineup to that which defeated England in the final T20I of the five-match series which they won 3-2. Skipper Keiron Pollard and Jason Holder have been in good form of late, and India will have to be vary of their threat.
Playing in their 1000th ODI today, the Men in Blue will be hoping to end their recent losing run and mark the historic game with a win.
