India vs West Indies ODI series: A unique sight is going to be seen in Indian cricket within the next one month. The schedules of the Asian Games 2026 to be held in Japan and the three-match ODI series to be played against West Indies at home are clashing almost simultaneously. India will play its first match in the Asian Games on 28 October. At the same time, the ODI series against West Indies will start from September 27. In such a situation, the selectors may have to take many big decisions to choose the team for the ODI series.

These players will return to the ODI team!

The Asian Games T20 team captained by Shreyas Iyer includes six players who were part of India’s last ODI team on the UK tour. These 6 players are captain Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Shivam Dubey, Arshdeep Singh and in-form Ishan Kishan. The absence of these players will open new doors for many players. In which Rishabh Pant’s name is being considered at the forefront.

Ishan Kishan, who is in excellent form, will be in Japan, hence Rishabh Pant has become the strongest contender for the slot of second wicketkeeper after KL Rahul. However, Pant will face a tough challenge from Dhruv Jurel. Let us tell you, Rishabh Pant played his last ODI match for India in the year 2024. At the same time, Rituraj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal are in the race to fill Shreyas Iyer’s place. Gaikwad played the last ODI for India in the year 2025 and also scored a century in that match. At the same time, Jaiswal has scored 2 centuries in his last 3 ODI matches.

There will be changes in the bowling unit also

Experienced Ravindra Jadeja can replace Akshar Patel. In the absence of Bumrah and Arshdeep, Mohammed Siraj and Mayank Yadav can be given the command of fast bowling along with Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav. However, it is difficult for Hardik Pandya to play in this series. He has not played international cricket since March, but due to being selected for the Australia-A series starting from 6 October, he may miss the ODI series starting from 27 September.

‘Ro-Ko’ and Captain Gill will add shine

Even though many star players will come to Japan to hoist the tricolor flag, the attraction of the home series against West Indies will not diminish. Indian Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill along with the legendary pair Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will return to the field and entertain the fans.