West Indies v India, 1st ODI Preview: India start as favorites against lackluster hosts

Team India is set to take on West Indies in the limited overs series in the Caribbean. When the team had last toured the Caribbean islands, they had won the Test series and then endured a defeat in the T20I series held in the US. Well, not much has changed since then. The Indian team will head into the competition as the firm favorites for the series. Their recent form has been excellent and they would want to continue with the same note.

However, there is a bigger picture that might bother them. The off-field drama surrounding the brouhaha over the abrupt and unceremonious exit of coach Anil Kumble is bound to have some impact on the team’s atmosphere. The team would hope that they get over the off-field drama and play with flair on the field. Talking about the recent forms, the Indian team had made it to the finals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

They lost to Pakistan in the finals but were herculean in the two games that preceded the final encounter. On the other hand, the West Indies had to settle with a 1-1 scoreline in the home series against Afghanistan. They would definitely be low on confidence.

As their coach Stuart Law mentioned, the series against India is vital since they have to look at the bigger picture of qualifying directly for the World Cup 2019. They are currently not in the top 8 teams and that is a big worry for the West Indies side. The five match ODI series could well be the best opportunity that the West Indies camp would get to improve on their rankings.

Toss: Windies won the toss and opted to field

Captains speak:

Virat Kohli: It should be a good track to bat on once the moisture dries off. We feel the wicket would slow down. I have enjoyed the responsibility of being a captain. Always love coming back here. It was a hiccup for us on the field. Just address the same thing that has been addressed previously. We just need to believe in our ability.

Jason Holder: We are going to have a bowl first. The conditions won’t change much it seems. Hopefully, our guys will pick some wickets early. It looks a good surface. Last times we played here it didn’t change much. We have started our plans, our processes. The end result will take care of itself if we get the process right.

Playing XI:

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravi Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav

Windies: Evin Lewis, Kieran Powell, Shai Hope(w), Jason Mohammed, Roston Chase, Jonathan Carter, Jason Holder(c), Ashley Nurse, Devendra Bishoo, Alzarri Joseph, Miguel Cummins

Focus will be on

Virat Kohli

Team India skipper Virat Kohli is likely to have the limelight in the game. The on-field tensions combined with the off-field news are bound to make him the center of attraction for the match. While many would be waiting for the press conferences that he holds, the player himself would want his bat do the talking. He had a rare failure in the finals of the Champions Trophy 2017 where he was dismissed cheaply. Barring that, he had an excellent tournament where he batted with an average close to 130.

Roston Chase

Roston Chase has emerged out to be the crisis man for team West Indies in the recent past. His superlative efforts in the longest format of the game had earned him his maiden ODI call up during the recently concluded series against Afghanistan. He could not do much there and hence would be hoping to come up with an improved showing in the series against India. He has a special liking for Indian bowlers and has a Test ton against them.

Ravichandran Ashwin

The overseas struggles of ace Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was there on display yet again when his tactics failed in the finals of the ICC Champions Trophy. He could not do anything with the ball that could save the fortunes of the men in blue on the day. Now, he will have a point to prove that he is not just a home track bully and can excel in the overseas conditions as well. The conditions in Port of Spain would aid the spinners.

Team Combinations

West Indies

The hosts have named an unchanged squad for the first two ODIs. Evin Lewis and Kieran Powell would be the openers with in-form batsman Shai Hope coming in at number 3. Jonathan Carter and Jason Mohammed are due for runs in the recent times.

Roston Chase will have his chance to make an impact in the shorter formats with an impressive showing. In the bowling department, Shannon Gabriel, Alzarri Joseph, and Jason Holder make up the pace department. Ashley Nurse will be accompanied by Roston Chase in the spin bowling department.

India

The visitors have named a good combination of youth and experience on the tour. The eyes would be on youngsters like Kuldeep Yadav and Rishabh Pant. Whether they get a go straightaway or not needs to be seen. The pace department has the trio of Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Jasprit Bumrah has been rested and so is the opener Rohit Sharma. Veteran batsman Dinesh Karthik could be drafted in as the opening partner for Shikhar Dhawan in the lineup. In the middle-order, the names of MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Kedar Jadhav, and Hardik Pandya look well set.

Stat Attack

10 – The last time West Indies beat India in a bilateral series was 10 years ago in 2006-07.

31 – Number of matches played between the two sides in the Caribbean. The Indian team has won on 11 occasions and West Indies have won 19 matches with one result going as No Result.