India Vs West Indies: Probable India XI for 4th ODI in Mumbai

Mumbai, Oct 28: Team India suffered a huge setback in the third ODI when a clinical performance by the Windies handed them a 43-run defeat in Pune. Chasing a competitive total of 283, Men In Blue were defeated despite a valiant century from their captain Virat Kohli.

The defeat would serve as a wake call for the Indians who's middle-order woes were once again exposed by the Windies. India's decision to go with five specialist bowlers and six genuine batsmen backfired as Kohli fell short of support on the other hand and ended up losing his wicket in an attempt to put some pressure on the opposition bowlers.

After losing the game, Kohli reflected upon the defeat and said their bowlers leaked some 30-4 odd runs extra in the death while the absence of a batsman at no. 7 too hurt them in the run chase.

In the fourth ODI, which will be played in Brabourne Stadium on Monday (October 29), the Indians would be eager to get to the winning ways.

"You will always drift to one side when you don't have the balance. We have to think about the perfect balance we need," said the skipper after the defeat.

Hence, Men In Blue would make a necessary change to their playing XI to give them some balance. The return of Kedar Jadhav from injury will give the team a much-needed depth in both the batting and bowling department.

Here's what India's Playing XI might look like in Mumbai:

1. Rohit Sharma

After a century in the opening game in the series, Rohit Sharma flopped in the next two games. The Mumbaikar scored 4 in Vizag (2nd ODI) and 8 in the third ODI. The 2nd ODI ended in a tie while in the third, they failed to get off to a good start in the tricky run chase of 284 in Pune.

Since, the team heavily relies on the batting exploits of their top-three it becomes important for Rohit, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli to score big. In the fourth game, Rohit will have to get his mojo back for India to get to winning ways.

Rohit's good form directly proportional to his team's success and his getting back to form becomes all more important for he'll be leading the Indians in the T20I series against the Windies.

2. Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan's patchy form has also been a matter of concern. The left-handed batsman was superb in Asia Cup but hasn't been able to replicate his form in this series. Dhawan was off to a good start in Pune but threw his wicket away.

He could have converted it into a big total, instead, he played a loose stroke which cost him his wicket and India ended up losing the game too. The senior-pro would look to get back to his form in Mumbai.

3. Virat Kohli

The Run Machine became the first Indian to score a hat-trick of centuries in ODIs. Hitting centuries are like a walk in the park for Kohli, something that's a daily routine for the modern day master. But, his last two centuries went in vain with one ending in a tie while the other resulted in a losing cause.

'Chase master' Kohli slammed his career's 38th century in Pune but that wasn't enough as the captain charismatic needed a support from the other end, which never came. Kohli would expect a better performance from his batsmen as bowlers are more or less doing their job well.

4. Ambati Rayudu

The stylish Hyderabad batsman has been zeroed in as India's permanent No. 4 batsman in the ODIs and he's played some good innings as well.

However, Rayudu has failed to convert those innings into big knocks. He scored 73 in Vizag and failed to convert that knock into a ton and in Pune, he was dismissed at the wrong time.

Rayudu should be looking to post a big score and consolidate his spot in the side.

5. Rishabh Pant

The young Delhi batsman got an opportunity to bat in the second and third ODI but failed to leave a mark in the two innings he batted. Pant has just played 3 ODIs and batted in two innings but one can never question his abilities as an explosive batsman.

But he will have to make use of the opportunities he's been given and a significant score in his debut ODI series is still awaited.

6. MS Dhoni

Lack of runs from MS Dhoni's bat is another big issue India is facing. The veteran hasn't been in the best of his form in 2018 and that is putting an extra burden over the middle-order.

Dhoni needs to find his form and a match-winning knock from the finisher is long overdue. Dhoni is in desperate need of runs in the limited opportunities that are left ahead of the World Cup.

7. Kedar Jadhav

The Pune batsman was badly missed in the third ODI that was played at his home ground. He was the hero for India when they played their previous ODI game on that venue as he notched up a match-winning century back then.

India were a batsman short in Pune and Kedar would just tick that box on his arrival in the fourth ODI. His ability to break partnerships at crucial times would also come in handy for the side in Mumbai.

8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The senior pacer was brought back into the side along with Jasprit Bumrah in the third ODI. However, the UP pacer conceded too many runs in the death overs. Bhuvneshwar would be looking to put up an improved show in the next game.

9. Kuldeep Yadav

The wrist spinner came for the second ODI after sitting out at Guwahati. He conceded 67 runs but picked up three wickets to keep the West Indies in check. In the third ODI, he picked up 2 for 52 and got the dangerman Shimron Hetmyer out. His penchant to take wickets may just give him an opportunity in the 4th ODI as well.

10. Yuzvendra Chahal

The wrist-spinner also went for some runs in the third ODI and picked up just 1 wicket in the middle overs. Team would hope for an improved show from Chahal in Mumbai because his form in the middle overs gets very important.

11. Jasprit Bumrah

The speedster was on his consistent best in the third ODI as he returned with 4 for 35 and even bowled the first maiden over of the series. Bumrah was exceptional with the new and old ball with his yorkers. Team would hope for a similar show from the right-arm pacer and hope they win this one to take a lead in the series.