Can India’s Reshuffled Cricket Team Snatch Victory in the West Indies?

India has arrived in the Caribbean to play the ODI section of their West Indies Tour, and cricket fans will be eyeing them with interest to see how they perform after several months plagued with reshuffles and injuries.

If you are one of the many fans who will be considering placing bets via sites such as bet365, you will probably be pondering the Indian cricket team’s frequent leadership changes. Perhaps you’re wondering how much of a detrimental effect they may have had, and if current captain Shikhar Dhawan can keep his team’s morale high as they prepare for their upcoming matches. 

How many captains are too many?

There is no disputing that the Indian cricket team has faced its fair share of instability this year. It all began when their first captain of 2022, Virat Kohli, was removed from his post in January. Rohit Sharma took the helm for three series, but for three other series, the team was led by three different people, as injuries and scheduling issues forced frequent replacements. 

KL Rahul took over from Sharma to captain the team as they played against South Africa. When he sustained an injury, he in turn was replaced by Rishabh Pant for a time. Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah also took their turns as captains at different points in 2022, before it was decided that Shikhar Dhawan would take over for the ODI part of the team’s West Indies tour. 

His predecessors, Kohli, Sharma, Pant, Pandya and Bumrah were all rested, which prompted criticism from cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar, who stated, “I do not agree with this concept of players resting. Not at all…You don’t take rest during IPL, then why ask for it while playing for India? I don’t agree with it”.

Will Dhawan lead his teammates to victory?

Dhawan certainly has plenty of experience under his belt to help him in his leadership role. This year alone, he has managed to become the second player – after his predecessor Virat Kohli – to have achieved the impressive milestone of 6000 runs. He has also played his 200th match in the Tata IPL. He is also set to overtake Kohli as the most capped Indian player in ODIs played in the West Indies. Kohli has held the record until now, with 15 matches, but Dhawan will quickly bypass this number to achieve yet another milestone this year. 

Of course, whether or not he will be able to snatch victory in the West Indies, and contribute to a stellar performance in the T20 World Cup is impossible to state for certain. However, with a star line-up under his leadership, and with so many years of experience to draw upon, it seems likely that Dhawan could prove to be the most successful of the many captains the Indian cricket team has had this year. 

Regarding any future line-up changes, it is presumed that the current team will remain the same until the T20, but with so many reshuffles so far this year, nothing seems guaranteed. 

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