India vs West Indies ODIs: Top 3 Windies cricketers to watch out for | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: To say that these are turbulent times for West Indies cricket will not be an understatement. Once an invincible powerhouse of the game, the decline has been steady. Their inability to qualify for the ODI World Cup for the first time ever is a new low for the team that won the first two editions of the same tournament.

Interestingly, the West Indies are the only team which has also won the ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup titles twice.

The Calypso flavour in the marquee event in India later this year will surely be missed by one and all.After winning the two-Test series 1-0, India gear up to face the West Indies in a three-match ODI series starting Thursday.
TimesofIndia.com here looks at the top 3 West Indies cricketers to watch out for in the ODI series:
Shimron Hetmyer (Left-handed batter)

(Photo: Getty Images)
Shimron Hetmyer is a household name in India thanks to his exploits in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Rajasthan Royals. A hard-hitting batsman, Hetmyer is also an under-19 World Cup winning captain for the West Indies.
Hetmyer made his ODI debut for the Windies in 2017 but hasn’t played an ODI since 2021 and has been recalled to the side for the series against India.
Hetmyer started his career as an opener but now has moved down the order and his destructive strokeplay paid rich dividends to the Rajasthan Royals in the 2022 IPL edition in which he scored 314 runs at a strike-rate of 153.92 in 15 games, playing an instrumental role in taking the side to the final.
Shai Hope (Captain, wicket-keeper and right-handed batter)

(Photo: Getty Images)
The captain of the ODI side, Shai Hope has a calm and mature head on his shoulders and enough talent to succeed at the top level.
Shai Hope made his Test debut against England in 2015 after having played just 14 first-class games and his talent was evident when he scored centuries in both innings against England at Leeds in Headingley in 2017.
Having played 115 ODIs, Shai Hope is 171 runs short of the 5000-run mark at an average of 49.78 and 15 hundreds with a highest score of 170 to boost his batting credentials.
Alzarri Joseph (Right-arm fast bowler)

(Photo: Getty Images)
Tall, fast and with an easy action, Alzarri Joseph was the quickest bowler of the under-19 World Cup in 2016 in which he led his side to the title. He has the quintessential fast bowler’s aggression but also has a cool head that stands him in good stead.
Alzarri Joseph, who idolizes Dale Steyn, made his Test debut against India in 2016 and made everyone sit up and notice his talent when he dismissed Virat Kohli in just his third over.
Alzarri Joseph’s career was hampered for a while due to a back stress fracture forcing him out of action for about 7 months but he has not dropped his pace and has taken 101 wickets in 61 ODIs with one five-wicket haul.