A dry pitch awaits India at the Queens Park Oval

The focus from the exit of Anil Kumble will now shift towards the 5-match ODI series against the West Indies. The first ODI will be played on Friday at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad. The team is already in Trinidad, sweating it out in training under the watchful eyes of MV Sridhar, who has been asked to supervise the team in the absence of a head coach.

Queens Park Oval is not known to be a high scoring ground. In the last 10 games played at this venue, the 300-run mark has been breached just once. It is a very picturesque ground and India has fond memories playing at this venue. MS Dhoni scripted a remarkable victory in the tri-series finals against Sri Lanka in 2013. For the West Indies, it hasn’t been a happy hunting ground. They have lost their last five games in a row at this ground with their last victory coming in 2008 against Sri Lanka.

A glance at the pitch for the 1st ODI

The official Twitter account of Cricket West Indies uploaded a picture of the pitch for this game. With less than 24 hours left for the first ball, the pitch looked very dry.

At first glance, the wicket looks like a slow turner. Both teams have a few spin bowlers in their ranks and will look to play as many as they can. West Indies have Roston Chase and Devendra Bishoo, two accurate spin bowlers who can do the job in the first ODI. Ashley Nurse, who is an off-spinning all-rounder, can also get a look in after delivering consistent performances this year.

Spinners will play a big role

India have Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who both have forgettable outings in the final of the Champions Trophy, along with rookie Kuldeep Yadav. Jadeja is expected to play in this encounter being a utility player. The think-tank will be pondering over the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav instead of Ravi Ashwin. They will be tempted to include all three but the combination of the side won’t allow them to do that. Another possibility will be to rest one of Yuvraj Singh and Kedar Jadhav to get all three spinners in the XI, which looks very unlikely as the batting would appear thin.

India likes chasing and might look to field first. In the last 10 games, 7 teams have won while chasing which gives another reason to Kohli for opting to field first. West Indies might want to field first too as rain plays a big role in this part of the world and it is always prudent to chase in such situations.

Probable XI

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav.

West Indies: Evin Lewis, Kieran Powell, Shai Hope, Jonathan Carter, Jason Mohammed, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Ashley Nurse, Devendra Bishoo, Alzarri Joseph and Rovman Powell.