India vs West Indies 2018: 5 things that can unfurl for India in the ODI series
The first match of the 5 match ODI series is currently underway in Guwahati and this will most likely be the last set of ODIs that India plays at home before the start of much awaited World Cup.
This West Indies team may not prove to be the strongest or the stiffest opposition for the home team by any stretch of the imagination, but they are a much better limited-overs side than in the longest format of the game.
The Indian team still needs to do a lot of groundwork in terms of striking the right balance as far as the middle and the lower order is concerned.
The Indian top order is one of the best the world right now and they just need a strong middle order to support the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
The bowling surprisingly lies in the safe hands, with all the bases covered heading to the World Cup barring maybe a couple of fitness issues, unlike in the past where the bowling was a big let down.
We will look at the 5 things that can unfurl for India in this series.
#1 A settled middle order
Rishabh Pant is having the time of his life as a cricketer. Recently, he scored a century in a Test match in England. This feat was never achieved by any of the Indian wicket-keepers who had travelled to England in the past.
A terrific home series against the West Indies has earned him a maiden call-up to the ODI team for the series against the same opposition.
He now becomes the latest player to be tested in the middle order slot, the one which has been a major weakness for the current Indian ODI setup. Pant has been given an opportunity in the first ODI ahead of Manish Pandey and KL Rahul who were previously tried in the said position but failed to capitalize on the chances that were given to them.
This could be the series which may start to produce the desired result for results for India from their middle-order batsman with the inclusion of Pant in the side. He may just make the middle order look more attacking, a thing which has been missing in the recent past.