Predicting 3 batters who will score the most runs in the 1st India vs West Indies ODI
India and West Indies are currently in Ahmedabad for a three-match one-day series, which will begin with the first game on February 6. The hosts’ preparations have been hampered to an extent, with Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer and Ruturaj Gaikwad among others testing COVID-19 positive. India have added Mayank Agarwal and Ishan Kishan to the squad following the development.
As for West Indies, amid allegations of a rift in the team, they fought brilliantly to overcome a talented England side 3-2 in a five-match T20 series at home. The visitors will be keen to build on their gains when they face India in the upcoming ODI series.
In the head-to-head record, India have won 29 of the 58 ODIs against West Indies at home while the Windies have been victorious in 28 matches. Although India have dominated contests between the teams in recent years, they have struggled in white-ball cricket of late, going down 0-3 in South Africa in the one-dayers.
Who will be top scorers in the 1st India vs West Indies ODI?
Ahead of the 1st one-dayer between India and West Indies in Ahmedabad, we look at three batters who could be the top run-getters in the match.
#1 Rohit Sharma
Having been appointed full-time limited overs captain, Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian team in the one-day series against West Indies. He was supposed to captain the team in South Africa but was ruled out of the tour due to a hamstring injury. The 34-year-old will be keen to return to international cricket on a high.
Rohit captained the team during the three-match T20I series against New Zealand at home towards the end of last year. It was his first assignment since taking over from Virat Kohli as full-time T20I skipper. The opener was highly impressive with the bat, registering scores of 48, 55 and 56 as India thumped the Kiwis 3-0. His captaincy was impressive as always.
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Rohit might be a bit rusty, having missed the series in South Africa. However, with the likes of Dhawan, Shreyas and KL Rahul (unavailable for 1st game) missing, the experienced batter will be keen to lead from the front.
#2 Virat Kohli
In South Africa, there were questions raised as to how Virat Kohli would perform in the ODIs, having been sacked as captain. But the former skipper gave a good account of himself, scoring fifties in two of the three one-day matches. Of course, the disappointing aspect was that he couldn’t convert either of the half-centuries into a big score. He looked in decent touch nonetheless.
Kohli’s focus in the home series against West Indies would be to build on the momentum he gained in South Africa. Although there have been numerous queries surrounding his form, the fact of the matter is that, in the one-day format, he has crossed fifty in 10 of his last 16 innings. If anything, his strike rate is a bit of a concern. It fell to 76.32 during the three-match series in South Africa.
The 33-year-old will be keen to have a good series against the West Indies so that the focus can shift from the recent controversies surrounding him to his cricketing achievements. And he might not admit it in the open, but the star batter would dearly want to get that elusive hundred in his kitty.
#3 Nicholas Pooran
Nicholas Pooran was the leading run-getter in the five-match T20I series at home against England. He smashed 164 runs at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 122.39. The left-hander’s top-score of 70 came off only 43 balls in the 3rd T20I in Bridgetown as West Indies registered a 20-run victory. The 26-year-old slammed four fours and five sixes in his blazing knock even as Rovman Powell blasted 107 in 53.
Pooran made decent contributions in the other matches, scoring more than 20 in each of the four T20Is. He looked in good form throughout and would want to carry the momentum into the India series as well. The talented West Indies batter had an embarrassingly poor IPL 2021 campaign for the Punjab Kings (PBKS), managing only 85 runs in 12 matches. He would thus be keen to prove a point in India.
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The southpaw has an impressive record in the ODI format - 1060 runs in 34 games at an average of 42.40. West Indies would be banking on him to deliver and get the team off to a good start in the one-dayers.