Cricket News: Ind VS WI-Players for whom the 2 ODIs could be the last 

BCCI, over time, have given chances to various talents to prepare them for the big show, and due to that, the decision on squad selection gets influenced. After this series, there are a few names whose future inclusion might get affected if they fail to deliver a performance in this series.

Axar Patel

He's undoubtedly one of the top-quality bowlers in white-ball cricket, but his batting aspect becomes critical when the focus shifts from T20 to the 50-over format. With an already established all-rounder like Ravindra Jadeja and an emerging one like Deepak Hooda, his place has been left uncemented in the playing XI. 

The 28-year-old got included in the ODI squad after a wait of nearly five years after he played last against New Zealand in 2017. He has not yet been able to set the stage ablaze in ODIs for India. In 21 innings played, he has scored 202 runs at an average of 13.46 and scalped 45 wickets in 36 innings. Though his overall economy has been terrific at 4.46, the bowler looked to play an impactful inning in 1st ODI against West Indies. In the first ODI, he returned wicketless conceding 43 runs in 7 overs and, even with the bat, could add just 21 runs down the order. 

Suppose he gets a chance to play in the two remaining ODIs- In that case, he needs to play an impactful knock, especially with Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi and Ravindra Jadeja waiting in the wings. He needs to take his chance count; he might have to warm the bench in wait to be called in the absence of the leading player. 

Sanju Samson 

Playing just the second ODI match of his career, he is already surrounded by bubbles of doubts about whether he will find a place in the international cricket team in future. Debuting with a 46-run knock against Sri Lanka in 2021, he landed with just 12 runs in the second chance against West Indies in the ODI format. Despite his impressive stints in the domestic league, not just as a batter but as a wicketkeeper and skipper, he cannot make a mark in international cricket. This is mainly due to the presence of prominent wicketkeeper batters in the form of Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan, owing to which he stands neglected. And with the return of veteran Dinesh Karthik in limited-over format, he becomes an easy drop-off case for any match. 

His other problem lies in his inconsistency. Former skipper Kapil Dev commented on all the four wicketkeeper batters and said, "I am disappointed with Sanju Samson. He is so talented. He does well in one or two matches, and then he does not do anything. If we talk about consistency currently, Dinesh Karthik is ahead of all. I don't think Dinesh Karthik has surpassed Rishabh Pant in the T20s. Ishan Kishan has, I think, come under pressure. Maybe it's the pressure of the high price that he garnered at the IPL auction."

As of now, his presence in upcoming fixtures looks to be subjective on whether he performs consistently in the given chances and the availability of leading players.