Champions Trophy: India vs West Indies - India preview

Finally, some good news for Team India supporters! The Men in Blue have gotten off to a flying start. The team clicked together as a unit and projected themselves as a bunch of players who could punch above their weight in any given situation. The void left by the lack of seniors was nowhere to be seen as they romped home against a team that was considered one of the major title contenders.

The position of a proper batsman in the lower middle order was exceptionally filled by ‘Sir’ Jadeja who proved his worth to his detractors with both bat and ball. His innings of 47 was worth every penny that Indian cricket has invested in him. He was a major contributor in taking the team’s total to a formidable 331, which proved decisive in the end. The bowlers, though off colour in the latter stages, provided the team with some crucial breakthroughs initially to take India beyond the finish line. Overall, it was a convincing performance, one that would provide Team India with the necessary impetus going into the tournament.

From here, the journey is pretty straightforward. They have to win one out of the remaining two matches in a comprehensive manner, since today’s match between Pakistan and South Africa is a virtual eliminator.

India can finally heave a sigh of relief to see their best batsmen (at least as far as technique is concerned) – Rohit Sharma – come to form in a stupendous manner. His form is crucial for Team India, and he along with Shikhar Dhawan could provide India with a perfect platform for the middle order batsmen to build a huge score.

The next match against West Indies could be a tricky one for Team India since West Indies could spring a surprise or two on their day. India should be wary of their utility players, players who could turn the tide of the match single-handedly. The presence of Gayle, Narine, Bravo and Pollard, all of whom had a brilliant season in the Indian Premier League, could prove tough for the Indians. The bowling needs to be spot-on and there is no room for errors, since the West Indian big hitters could take you apart if you are tentative with your bowling.

They have some pretty good bowlers and an energetic skipper in Dwayne Bravo. The team would be raring to go after their thrilling two wicket win over Pakistan in their opening match. The key for India would be to bat first, put a huge score on the board and put pressure on the West Indians. India’s strength is their batting and they should look to bank on that to put up a credible performance tomorrow.

India could look to bring in Irfan Pathan in place of Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the sake of variety. Irfan, being a left-arm seamer, would be useful in English conditions. And the fact that he is handy with the bat would lend depth to the Indian batting even further. Apart from that, the team selection should be straightforward as the players select themselves into the team after a string of combined performances in the previous matches.

KEY PLAYERS:

Suresh Raina:

The southpaw from Uttar Pradesh has not done anything noteworthy in the last few days and the dedicated player that he is, he would like to make a mark in the upcoming matches. Raina is a dangerous customer on his day and his performance in the middle order would certainly boost the run-rate.

R. Ashwin:

The wily off-spinner had a decent outing in the last match. Though he did not pick any wickets, he was economical and his performance contributed to the victory. But come Tuesday, he would face a tough task in containing the big hitters of West Indies, especially Gayle and Pollard.

M. S. Dhoni:

Having played under the captaincy of Dhoni, Bravo would have learnt a few tricks from the greatest skipper that India has ever produced and would look to use them to his advantage. Dhoni needs to be quick on his feet and come up with new ideas to counter the “familiarity factor”. The thinking should be fresh and Dhoni should look to outsmart his counter-part.

It is a crucial encounter for Team India. It is a virtual qualifier tomorrow.  If India fails to win this one, things would be tough as they would be facing a variety-filled Pakistan team and India would have a “must-win” situation on their hands. Therefore it is an “almost” must win game for the Men in Blue come Tuesday.

Last Champions Trophy encounter:

India vs. West Indies (2009)

Result: India won

Author’s Prediction:

Though West Indies are a good team and are coming on the back of a victory against a sub-continent team, an Indian victory is expected.