"Spinners to take 8+ wickets" - Aakash Chopra makes his predictions for 2nd India vs West Indies ODI
Aakash Chopra expects the spinners to once again have a field day in the second ODI between India and the West Indies.
The second game of the three-match series will be played in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Saturday, July 29. The spinners accounted for a total of 10 dismissals across the two innings in the first ODI at the same venue.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra predicted that the spinners will be among the wickets, reasoning:
"The match is at the same venue as the last one. There is a lot of turn on the pitch and I feel it is going to remain the same. It's a day ODI and dew is not an issue. There is some moisture in the pitch at the start but it turns throughout. So spinners to take 8+ wickets and I won't be surprised if India goes with an additional spinner."
The former Indian opener expects a few batters to succumb leg-before-wicket. He explained:
"My second prediction is that there will be at least three leg-before dismissals. Why am I saying that? I am not just throwing it randomly. When the ball is turning, the bowlers try to end the ball within the stumps very often."
Chopra pointed out that India's Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal, the four available spin-bowling options, bowl a straight line, and that the West Indies' Gudakesh Motie also follows a similar approach.
Three of Kuldeep's four victims in the first game were dismissed lbw. Suryakumar Yadav was the only Indian batter to be trapped in front of the wickets. He fell prey to Motie while attempting a sweep shot.
"If India bat first, the top three will together score at least 150 runs" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra expects substantial contributions from Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli with the bat if India get to set a target and stick to their regular batting order. He said:
"If India bat first, the top three will together score at least 150 runs. Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, that's what I am thinking, if they bat they will together score 150 runs."
The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by predicting that India will clinch the series before the final game. He stated:
"I am once again saying India to win the match. It might just go down as a slightly easy prediction but I cannot say that India will lose."
The Men in Blue have not lost an ODI series against the Windies since 2006. They have won their last nine games against the Caribbean team, with their last defeat being the first game of the home series in December 2019.