Hard-hitting batsman and wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant seems set to make his India ODI debut in the first match of the five-game series against the West Indies on Sunday.

Pant has played for India in four T20s and five Tests but it was in ODIs that he was supposed to have started off as the understudy of veteran MS Dhoni.

However, injuries to Wriddhiman Saha and poor form of Dinesh Karthik in the England Test series meant Pant was fast-tracked into Test cricket and he impressed in his maiden series, hitting a breath-taking century in The Oval Test even as the team lost the series 4-1.

He wasn’t picked in the Asia Cup, which many saw as a mistake, and as he continued his fine form in the two-Test series against the West Indies, found his way into the Indian ODI squad and now looks set for his maiden 50-over stint.

Pant took to Instagram to announce: “Always ready to give my 100 per cent on a cricket field. Cannot wait to take on the West Indies in the first ODI on Sunday!”

Generally, the Indian team is very guarded about its Playing XI but it has recently started to announce its XII a couple of days before the match.

With Pant in the team, the pressure on wicketkeeper MS Dhoni is expected to reduce greatly as he will have an in-form and attacking batsman around him, something that the Indian team has been missing for a good three years.