For India’s ODI team against the West Indies, Mohammad Kaif has recommended a particular batting order, with Yashasvi Jaiswal starting at number four. Kaif’s suggestion comes as India gets ready for the series without a number of important players, such as Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ishan Kishan, who are participating in the Asian Games. In this series, I believe you could play Yashasvi Jaiswal at number four. He will still open once Rohit leaves. White-ball allows you to shuffle.
India and the West Indies will play a three-match ODI series starting on September 27, 2026, and a five-match T20I series starting on October 6. The scheduling overlap between the ODI series and the Asian Games in Japan, which take place from September 24 to October 3, has prompted discussion from experts and former players.
I believe you could play Yashasvi Jaiswal at number four – Mohammad Kaif
Since there are no Shreyas, Rohit and Gill can start, Virat at three, and Jaiswal at four,” Kaif stated on his YouTube channel.Gaikwad can bat at five, Rahul at six, Jadeja at seven, and the fast bowlers after Nitish Reddy and Kuldeep Yadav. Gaikwad and Jaiswal can both be used in this series. Play Jaiswal at four because white-ball is always up and down. In fact, I believe it should be a simple call,” he continued.
In six one-day international matches, Jaiswal has amassed 285 runs at an average of 71.25 and a strike rate of 97.60. In his ODI career, the left-handed batter has scored two hundreds, one against Afghanistan and one against South Africa. He made his ODI debut against England on February 6, 2025, and he most recently played against Afghanistan on June 17, 2026.
Given the conflicting obligations, Kaif also questioned India’s squad selection process. The choice to send India’s best team to the Asian Games while the ODI series against the West Indies is taking place with few matches before the next World Cup worried him. By sending younger athletes to the Asian Games, other countries have adopted a different strategy, according to Kaif.Many of the Asian Games teams have sent fresh players, according to what I was looking at. Here, we’re focusing on the Asian Games rather than ODIs. Our key players are all present.
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Kaif remarked, “We want to win the gold while other teams are trying to develop players or not giving this so much attention.Wanting to win is a positive trait. But why have we sent the best side to the Asian Games ahead of ODIs when the West Indies are here and there aren’t many ODIs before the World Cup? “I don’t get this,” he continued.
India’s West Indies series ODI squad:
Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Naman Dhir, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Shubman Gill (captain)
