India vs West Indies: Meet five lesser-known players in the Windies ODI squad who could make a big impact | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Riding high on confidence after a T20I series triumph against England in their backyard, the West Indies team now takes on an Indian challenge in the white-ball series starting February 6. The series will begin with three one-day Internationals followed by 3 T20 Internationals at two venues — Ahmedabad and Kolkata respectively.
The Windies have named a strong 15-man squad for the ODI series against a high-quality Indian side. While veteran Kemar Roach is making a comeback in the 50-over format after a gap of nearly three years, there are also a few rookie players the Windies have bet on to perform in the challenging sub-continental conditions.
TimesofIndia.com here takes a look at 5 lesser-known players that West Indies have included in their squad for the ODI series against India.
Alzarri Joseph (Right-arm fast-medium bowler)

(Photo: ICC Twitter)
Part of the West Indies u-19 World Cup winning team in 2016, Alzarri Joseph made headlines and grabbed the attention of Indian fans when he produced magical figures of 6 for 12 for Mumbai Indians in an IPL match in 2019. The 25-year-old pacer will definitely be one of the most keenly watched players in the upcoming white-ball series in India, with the IPL auction around the corner. Joseph, since his ODI debut in 2016 has played 40 ODIs for the national side, picking up 64 wickets with career best figures of 5 for 56. The Antiguan, in the recent past has played regular cricket — Caribbean Premier League, West Indies-Ireland series in the Caribbean and even a couple of matches in the Bangladesh Premier League as well. However in the England-West Indies T20I series, Joseph was among the reserved players. Raring to step onto the field once again, the India batters will have to be wary of Joseph’s thunderbolts as the youngster could be a major weapon in skipper Pollard’s arsenal.
Romario Shepherd (Right-arm fast-medium bowler & right-hand bat – bowling all-rounder)

(Photo: Doordarshan Sports Twitter)
All-rounder Romario Shepherd will join the likes of Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph and strengthen the pace bowling attack when the West Indies take on India in the ODI series, starting February 6. To go with that, Romario’s abilities with the bat will also be a key factor that Kieron Pollard will take into consideration while picking the best possible XI against a strong Indian side. And even though Romario is short on international experience — 10 ODIs with 8 wickets and 80 runs so far — the 27-year-old has produced some excellent performances in recent times. In the England T20I series that West Indies wrapped up recently, winning 3-2, Romario picked up 6 wickets in five games and also played a thrilling 28-ball 44* run knock in the second T20I. Romario provides a lot of right balance to the West Indies team and will be itching to play a key role as Kieron Pollard’s team aims to maintain the winning momentum.
Brandon King (Top order right-hand batsman)

(Photo: ICC Twitter)
Watch out for top order batsman Brandon King when West Indies take the field against India in the white-ball series, starting Sunday. The 27-year-old is making a comeback to the Windis ODI setup after some noteworthy performances recently in the shortest format. Brendon was first included in the Windies ODI team after emerging as the top run-scorer in the Caribbean Premier League in 2019, but after a poor start to his international career, he was dropped from the national side. The 27-year-old made a comeback to the T20I setup after Windies’ disastrous outing at the T20 World Cup. Brendon, since his return in the December 2021 Pakistan tour has been consistent and has now earned an ODI recall after more than two years. The right-hander, so far has played only 4 ODIs where he has just 97 runs at an average of just over 24. However, the swashbuckling batter recently scored 122 runs in the 5 T20I series against England and will be high on confidence. In the 5th and final T20I vs England, King was the second highest run getter for the Windies, with 34, behind Rovman Powell (35). Brandon will be a threat to India at the top of the order. West Indies will be hoping that Brandon’s stroke-making ability will come good against the high-quality India bowling attack. Brandon has played a total of 31 first-class and 32 List-A matches, aggregating 1867 and 743 runs respectively.
Akeal Hosein (Slow left-arm orthodox bowler)

(Photo: cricket.com.au Twitter)
Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein has had a solid run in international cricket in the last one year. Since making his ODI debut in January 2021 against Bangladesh, Akeals performances have seen a constant rise. Akeal, who joined Kolkata Knight Riders as a net bowler in the last season of the IPL in the UAE and was later part of the Windies T20 World Cup squad, has been a regular feature in the Windies white-ball set up in recent times. In the 12 ODIs Akeal has played so far, the slow left arm orthodox spinner has 20 wickets to his name. Akeal, particularly in T20Is, has been highly impressive with a decent economy rate and a knack of picking up regular wickets. In the recently concluded England-West Indies T20I series, Akeal picked up 8 wickets in five matches, including his career best figures of 4 for 30. High on confidence after recent success, Akeal could be a big threat to the India batters in the upcoming limited-overs series. His ability to smack lusty blows down the order will also be another thing that India will be wary about.
Nkrumah Bonner (All-rounder – Right-hand batsman & leg-break bowler)

(Photo: @wiplayers Twitter)
Experienced all-rounder Nkrumah Bonner, just like Brandon King, is also making a comeback to the West Indies ODI set up for the India series. The 33-year-old spinning all-rounder might be short on international experience but has got some decent abilities with both bat and ball. “Over the last few years, Nkrumah Bonner’s cricket has grown by leaps and bounds and we believe he should be given an opportunity to play in the 50-over format,” lead selector Desmond Haynes said while announcing the ODI squad. In the 3 ODIs Bonner has played so far, the Jamaican has scored 51 runs and is yet to take a wicket. However, in the List A games, Bonner has 1,956 runs and 27 wickets to his name in 67 outings. With not too many left-handed batters in the India squad, Bonner’s leg-breaks might come in handy for skipper Kieron Pollard, along with his ability to tonk the ball in the death overs.