Virat Kohli to lead, Shikhar Dhawan returns for India's tour to West Indies

India will play three T20Is scheduled for August 3, 4 and 6 and then take on the hosts in three ODIs starting from August 8, followed by two Tests. Virat Kohli will lead the side in all three formats on the tour while Shikhar Dhawan makes a comeback from injury for the ODIs and T20Is against West Indies.

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Despite reports that Virat Kohli could be rested for the limited-overs' matches in the upcoming tour to West Indies, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) picked him to lead the touring party. Rohit Sharma will continue to be his deputy in the ODIs and T20Is while Ajinkya Rahane has been named vice-captain for the two Tests. Shikhar Dhawan gets set to make his return - for the ODIs and T20Is - after an injury had forced him out of the World Cup.

MS Dhoni had already opted out of the series and is on a two-month break to serve his army regiment. Rishabh Pant will take on the wicketkeeping responsibilities. Wriddhiman Saha has been named in the Test squad but will miss the limited-overs' action. (Also read: Thought process behind Dhoni's future)

Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the ODIs and T20Is but he will be part of the Test team which also sees the return of Umesh Yadav. The pace attack in the limited-overs' matches will be led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar while Mohammad Shami has been named only in the ODI and Test squads.

With 11 wickets from eight ODIs and 10 wickets from nine T20Is, Khaleel Ahmed has been given a chance to prove himself once again in the T20Is and ODIs. CSK pacer Deepak Chahar, who impressed many with his exploits with the ball in the Indian Premier League, has also been named in the ODI and T20I squads. He has played only one ODI so far.

Rookie pacer Navdeep Saini has also been named in the ODI and T20I squads although selectors have relied on an experienced bowling attack for the Tests.

Interestingly, Hardik Pandya will miss the entire tour and brother Krunal has been included as a T20I specialist.

India will play three T20Is  scheduled for August 3, 4 and 6 and then take on the hosts in three ODIs starting from August 8. This will be followed by two Tests.

India had previously taken on West Indies in the league stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup, easing to a 125-run win. The last bilateral series between the two teams had seen hosts India cruise to wins in both Tests and then seal a series win in the five ODIs as well as in the two T20Is.

India’s squad for 3 T20Is: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (WK), Krunal Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Rahul Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini.

India’s squad for 3 ODIs: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kedar Jadhav, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Navdeep Saini.

India’s squad for 2 Tests: Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (VC), Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, C Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant (WK) Wriddhiman Saha (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav