A battered and bruised Team India will need to regroup quickly and recharge their batteries in the 2nd ODI against the West Indies on Saturday.
A battered and bruised Team India will need to regroup quickly and recharge their batteries in the 2nd ODI against the West Indies on Saturday.
Even before the men from Caribbean landed on Indian shores, MS Dhoni’s men were touted as favourites for the series but all those predictions came falling down as the Men In Blue fell to a crushing 124-runs defeat at Kochi. Even without their star players – Chris Gayle and Sunil Narine in the side, Dwayne Bravo’s men were a step ahead than their counterparts in the 1st ODI and will look to carry on the momentum.
Indian batting was a letdown in the first ODI with biggest disappointment coming from none other than Virat Kohli. The Delhi-born has yet to strike silver with the bat since the England tour and it seems the poor wretch of form has taken a toll on him. With a lot of technical flaws in his batting, MS Dhoni must quickly aide the troubling star who is a champion with the bat once set in.
In the bowling department, the spinners leaked 142 runs between them and it seems, Dhoni and the team management are trying to find a perfect solution to play a proper eleven. Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra performed below-par while the likes of Mohammad Shami and Mohit Sharma, fizzled out. With Mohit now injured, the BCCI has drafted in Test hero at Lord’s, Ishant Sharma as a likely replacement.
On the other hand, the West Indies team looks much more balanced and raring to go at the Indians. Dwayne Bravo surprised everyone when he came out to bat at the top of the order with Dwayne Smith. The middle order is packed with some lethal batsmen in the likes of Kieron Pollard, Marlon Samuels and Darren Sammy who could send the opposition bowlers into a tizzy.
On the bowling front, even without Sunil Narine, the tall and lanky Sulieman Benn will take time to adapt on these turning pitches. The trio of Jerome Taylor, Andre Russell and Ravi Rampaul troubled the Indian batting order in the 1st ODI and will be looking to repeat the same again.
With the odds stacked against the West Indies, if MS Dhoni wins the toss, expect the skipper to bat first and amass a huge total. India all the way here.
Teams (from):
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Murali Vijay, Kuldeep Yadav.
West Indies: Dwayne Bravo (C), Darren Bravo, Jason Holder, Leon Johnson, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russel, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor.
