3 player battles to watch out for in IND vs WI 2nd ODI
India made a terrific start to the ODI series against the West Indies (WI) with an emphatic win in the first ODI at Bridgetown, Barbados on Thursday, July 27. The bowlers made light work of the WI batting as the hosts were bowled out for just 114.
While the Men in Blue did lose five wickets in the chase, the result didn't seem to be in doubt as captain Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja finished the game. The hosts will be disappointed with the way they batted, but will also know that had they posted a fighting total, the first ODI could have had an interesting end.
WI not qualifying for the World Cup gives them an opportunity to play with a nothing-to-lose mindset in the remaining two games. India, on the other hand, will look to give more game time to some of the players that they have been testing for a potential spot in their World Cup squad.
On that note, let's take a look at some of the interesting match-ups that could decide the result of the second ODI:
#3 Shubman Gill vs Jayden Seales
Shubman Gill's rise has been sensational for India over the past few months and is one of their big hopes for the World Cup. However, he has had issues with the moving ball and it was once again evident in the first ODI.
Gill just hung his bat away from his body and Jayden Seales managed to dismiss him by getting an edge that was gobbled up in the slip cordon. The pacer has conceded 71 runs in the 76 balls that he has bowled to Gill in ODIs and it was the first instance where he dismissed the star right-hander.
If Seales is able to find some movement once again on Saturday, it will be interesting to see how Gill plays the new ball.
#2 Shai Hope vs Kuldeep Yadav
WI skipper Shai Hope's 43 was probably the only saving grace from what was a disastrous batting performance from the hosts. His spin game is pretty strong and that makes him a vital cog for WI in the middle order.
Hope has scored 150 runs from 181 balls bowled by Kuldeep Yadav in ODIs. However, the wrist-spinner dismissed the WI captain for the third time in ODIs on Thursday and that makes it a pretty even match-up to look forward to potentially in the middle overs.
#1 Suryakumar Yadav vs Gudakesh Motie
Quite a few eyebrows were raised when Team India decided to back Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) ahead of Sanju Samson in the first ODI. The No.1 ranked T20I batter has found life tough in the one-day format and is running out of time to prove his worth for being in the World Cup squad.
SKY's weakness against left-arm spin is well-documented as he was trapped in front by Gudakesh Motie in the first ODI. Although he has scored 118 runs from 119 balls against left-arm spin, this was the sixth instance of him getting out to this type of bowler in ODIs. If the two face off once again on Saturday, it will be interesting to see how SKY plays against his negative match-up.