India vs West Indies, 2nd ODI Playing XI - Where Will KL Rahul Bat?

IND v WI: India won the first ODI against West Indies very convincingly as they chased down a below-par target of 177 in 28 overs by six wickets. 

It was a dominating win despite India missing out on a few first-choice players, especially just before the series began. Shikhar Dhawan and Ruturaj Gaikwad, India's two opening players tested positive for Covid. 

The duo's unavailability meant India drafted Mayank Agarwal and Ishan Kishan in as the opening batters. Since Mayank was in quarantine, Ishan was made to open in the first match. He did a decent job scoring 28 off 36 balls where he hit two fours and a six. 

During the powerplay, while 53 runs came from the other end, only 14 runs came off Ishan's bat in 23 balls. It was a cautious inning while Rohit Sharma smacked the West Indian bowlers all around the park. 

In the 2nd ODI, a few things will change for India. Mayank is out of quarantine and will be available for the match and KL Rahul will join the squad. 

Given Ishan's performance in the 1st game and Mayank being out of the quarantine, will management change the opening combo? This question will also answer a lot of queries related to how the management is giving roles to players. Are they still floating a few players up and down the order or have selected players with a particular batting order in mind. 

If Ishan continues as an opener, then it might mean that the management is looking at him as a potential opener. However, if Mayank replaces Ishan, then it will be mean that Ishan was a situational opener and Mayank is above him in the pecking order. 

Now, in the South Africa ODIs, KL Rahul opened the innings since Rohit wasn't there but it still isn't clear if he was a situational opener or will be backed as a full-time opener. Ideally, he should be playing at number five, where he had a lot of success in the past.

If KL is brought back in the middle order, then will Suryakumar Yadav, who finished the 1st ODI with an unbeaten 34 off 36, be benched or Deepak Hooda will sit to accommodate both the batters. 

It will be a hard decision for India's management to make since these things will have long-term implications as the teams will be preparing for the World Cup 2023. 

Also Read: Ashes 2021-22 - England vs Australia Schedule and Squads

India's Probable Playing XI - Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal