(Reuters) – Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant could make his one-day international debut for India after he was picked in their 14-man squad for the first two matches against West Indies, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said yesterday.
Pant, who has impressed with 114 and 92 in his previous two test appearances, has replaced an inconsistent Dinesh Karthik as cover for first-choice keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Karthik could not convert starts into big scores at the Asia Cup and finished with a total of 146 in six matches, missing the opportunity to secure the number four spot India have been looking to fill ahead of the 50-over World Cup next year.
Captain Virat Kohli has returned to the squad after missing the Asia Cup, but quick bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah were rested.
After proving his fitness in test matches against England and West Indies, fast bowler Mohammed Shami was added to the one-day squad to bolster the pace attack.
Fast bowlers Deepak Chahar and Siddarth Kaul, who featured in one match each at the Asia Cup, were left out while left-arm quick Khaleel Ahmed kept his place in the squad.
The five-match ODI series kicks off in Guwahati on Oct. 21 before moving to Visakhapatnam on Oct. 24. Pune, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram will host the other three matches.
India lead the test series 1-0 ahead of the second and final match in Hyderabad, which began earlier today.
Full squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Khaleel Ahmed, Shardul Thakur
