Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif picked his India playing XI ahead of the first ODI against the West Indies, which will take place on Sunday, September 27. West Indies are in India for a three-match ODI and five-match T20I series. However, Mohammad Kaif said that India could play Yashasvi Jaiswal at number four, who is currently seen as a back-up opener for Rohit Sharma. Kaif also added that a bit of shuffling could be done to give Jaiswal some game time.

“I think you can play Yashasvi Jaiswal at No.4 in this series. After Rohit goes, he will open anyway. You can shuffle in white-ball. Rohit and Gill can open, Virat at three, Jaiswal at four as there is no Shreyas. Gaikwad can bat at five, Rahul at six, Jadeja at seven, and then Nitish Reddy and Kuldeep Yadav, followed by the fast bowlers. You can set both Jaiswal and Gaikwad in this series. It is always up and down in white-ball, so play Jaiswal at four. I think it should be a straightforward call, actually,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.

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Meanwhile, Mohammad Kaif also questioned the need for India to send a full-strength squad for the Asian Games 2026, with certain key players like Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer missing out on the West Indies ODI series as well.

“I was looking at the teams for the Asian Games, and many of them have sent new players. We are not prioritising ODIs here but looking at the Asian Games. All our main players are there. Other nations have sent young teams, so is winning the gold not an important thing for them? We want to win the gold while other teams are looking to groom players or not giving this so much importance?,” he questioned.

“It is a good thing to want to win. But because the West Indies are here and you have only limited ODIs before the World Cup, why have we sent the best team to the Asian Games ahead of ODIs? I cannot understand this,” Mohammad Kaif concluded.