IND vs WI, 1st ODI: Naman Dhir makes his debut
What's the story
India's captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bowl first in the first ODI of a three-match series against West Indies at Thiruvananthapuram's Greenfield International Stadium. This marked the return of veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to international cricket. While India went in with four bowlers, Naman Dhir earned his debut India cap. Here are further details.
Team composition
Gill announces Naman Dhir's debut
Gill revealed his strategy at the toss, saying they will bowl first as it looks like a decent surface that will improve under lights.
He also announced Naman Dhir's debut in international cricket.
"We have got a decent combination, four bowlers and two all-rounders. 20-odd matches to go for the World Cup, so good for us to test the combination," Gill said after winning the toss.
Match perspective
Shai Hope not concerned about toss
West Indies captain Shai Hope wasn't too concerned about losing the toss, saying they would have chosen to bat first.
He acknowledged the quick turnaround from their last match and expressed confidence in his team's performance over the past couple of years.
The pitch report indicated that batting conditions could be favorable at Thiruvananthapuram's Greenfield International Stadium due to its hard base and minimal grass cover.
Playing XI
A look at two XIs
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Naman Dhir, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Gurnoor Brar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Prasidh Krishna.
West Indies (Playing XI): John Campbell, Justin Greaves, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope (captain and wicketkeeper), Amir Jangoo, Jewel Andrew, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, and Jayden Seales.
Career
Naman Dhir's journey so far
Naman Dhir is a middle-order batter who also bowls off-spin.
Representing Punjab in domestic cricket, the 26-year-old has played 14 List A matches, scoring 351 runs at an average of 39.00 (SR: 106.36), including four half-centuries.
Dhir made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut in 2024 and has represented only Mumbai Indians (MI) so far.
According to Cricinfo, he was one of only four MI players to play all 16 games last year.