3 Indian players to watch out for in the second ODI vs West Indiesย
Following a resounding victory over West Indies in the opening ODI, India will look to seal the three-match series when they take the field for the second encounter on Wednesday.
The spin duo of Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal ran through the Caribbean batters and spun a web with their guile. Jason Holder scored a valiant half-century to lend some respectability to the total.
Led by Rohit Sharma, India broke no sweat and chased down a total of 176 with 22 overs to spare. The 'Hitman' looked as refined as ever and set the tone for India, smashing ten boundaries and a six en route to his 51-ball knock of 60 runs.
It was a dominating performance from the hosts despite missing a few first-choice names. Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer, two of India's key batters, both tested positive for COVID-19. Another player who missed the opening game, KL Rahul, is available for the second ODI.
After being whitewashed in South Africa, India looked infused with energy and purpose under Rohit. The team will undoubtedly want to pick up where they left off on Sunday night.
Preparations ๐
#TeamIndia gearing up for the 2nd @Paytm #INDvWI ODI ๐ช https://t.co/p3Y2uTS5fA
On that note, let's look at three Indian players to watch out for in the second ODI against the West Indies.
#3. Ishan Kishan
With the availability of KL Rahul, there might be a chance that India will leave out Ishan Kishan on Wednesday. However, if they do, it will surely be harsh on the flamboyant left-hander.
Kishan, who was below Shikhar Dhawan in the pecking order, got an opportunity to open for India due to the latter's health reasons. Though the 23-year-old didn't have an ideal outing in the first match, he did ensure that there were no early hiccups for the hosts during the chase.
Happy with our first win on the board ๐ฎ๐ณ https://t.co/MzvgT2HMND
Kishan contributed with a steady knock of 28 runs off 36 balls, which included two boundaries and a fantastic six. He would have wanted to carry his on but lost his wicket while attempting a lofted stroke.
Given that Dhawan will automatically partner up with Rohit once he is fit, it would be fair to give Kishan another shot at the top of the order. If given the opportunity, the Jharkhand-born dasher is likely to go hard against the listless West Indies attack.
#2. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli's lean and inconsistent patch with the bat continued in the first ODI. He looked all at sea during his four-ball stay in the middle.
First, the former Indian skipper played two contrasting shots which both resulted in boundaries. He then ducked a searing bumper by Alzarri Joseph before losing his wicket while playing an uncontrolled pull shot.
nd ODI against West Indies. 
๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ & ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐!๐ โก๏ธ
#TeamIndia gear up for the 2โฃnd ODI against West Indies. ๐ ๐
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There's no doubt the veteran will look to bounce back strongly against a side against whom he has scored 2,243 runs at an immaculate average of 70.
#1. KL Rahul
India have been boosted by the return of KL Rahul, who missed the first ODI due to his sister's engagement. With Rahul now available, it will be interesting to see who the Indian think-tank chooses to leave out to accommodate the Karnataka batter.
If Rahul opens the batting for India, Kishan will have to make way for the right-hander. If Rahul bats in the middle order, then debutant Deepak Hooda, who played his part to perfection in the first ODI (26* off 32), might have to sit out as the team cannot afford to tinker with the rest of the middle-order.
Look who are here! ๐
The trio has joined the squad and sweated it out in the practice session today. ๐ช
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In the ODIs against South Africa, the newly-appointed vice-captain opened the innings as Rohit Sharma wasn't available. It's unclear, however, whether he was a situational opener or would be backed as a full-time opener.
While team management is unlikely to make any changes to the bowling attack, putting together an upright batting line-up will be a difficult task. Furthermore, Mayank Agarwal is also out of quarantine and was seen battling out in the nets, leaving Rahul Dravid spoilt for choice.