Reports: Injured Ravindra Jadeja likely to be rested for West Indies ODIs

Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is likely to be ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against the West Indies due to a suspected knee injury.

According to reports, the star cricketer has a niggle in his left knee and medical advice is being sought to determine the extent of the injury.

The ODI series will kick off on Friday (July 22) and all three games will be played at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad.

Cricbuzz reports that Jadeja could be rested for the ODIs to give the southpaw enough time to recover before the T20I leg of the tour starts. The five-match series will take place between July 29-August 7 in the Caribbean and USA.

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Jadeja was named vice-captain of the second-string squad, which will be led by opener Shikhar Dhawan. If ruled out, then India will have to name a new vice-captain. Star wrist-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal could become the likely beneficiary.

Selection conundrum in plenty for Dhawan & Dravid

With 'Jaddu' ruled out, it will be interesting to see what kind of combination the Indian management goes with. Also, with Hardik Pandya unavailable and Jadeja too unlikely to feature, Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel will likely come in as like-for-like replacements. In their absence, the onus will be on the top-6 to spearhead the batting.

That said, West Indies' batter's issues against left-arm spin are well documented and Axar could pose a massive threat if the wicket turns out to be slow and sluggish.

It will also be interesting to see who opens the innings with Dhawan. There are three contenders in Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad, with the stumper likely to get a nod.

Then there is a case for middle-order spots. Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav will likely start at three & four, while Sanju Samson and Deepak Hooda could slot in at five & six, followed by 'all-rounders'- Shardul and Axar. 

Chahal will lead the spin department, while Mohammed Siraj will partner with one of Prasidh Krishna or Avesh Khan as specialist pacers.

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