3 reasons why West Indies could struggle against India in the upcoming ODI series
Team India's next assignment in limited overs cricket is a tour of the Caribbean. The Men in Blue will play three ODIs and three T20Is against West Indies.
All three ODIs will be played at the Port of Spain in Trinidad on July 22, 24 and 27 respectively.
India and West Indies have faced each other on 136 occasions in ODI cricket, and the former have tasted victory on 67 occasions. The Windies have won 63 ODIs out of them whereas two have been tied and there has been no result in four games.
Team India will have a new skipper for the ODI series in Shikhar Dhawan, who will lead the following squad:
India’s squad for 3 ODIs: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Ravindra Jadeja (vice-captain), Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
#TeamIndia ODI squad:
Shikhar Dhawan (C), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
The likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested for the said series.
Despite not having a full-strength squad, West Indies could struggle against the visitors in the ODI series. Here is a look at three reasons for the same:
#1. The current form of West Indies in ODI cricket and the dominance of team India in the recent past
West Indies have played 15 ODIs in 2022 and have emerged victorious in only four of them. Out of the said four wins, three have been against the Netherlands and one against Ireland.
The Windies have lost the ODI series to Ireland (at home), India, Pakistan (away), and Bangladesh (at home) this year.
The Windies have lost their last six ODIs and have struggled with impressive performances in the 50-over format.
In the last 10 ODIs at home against India, West Indies have a dismal record of winning just two matches. They have lost six matches and two matches have produced no results.
Nicholas Pooran and his boys will have to put on something special to get over the line against the Indian team. The visitors are currently playing exceptional cricket in the limited overs format.
#2. The struggle of West Indies batsmen against spin
The recently concluded ODI series against Bangladesh exposed the weaknesses of the inexperienced West Indies outfit against spin bowling. The sub-continent outfit whitewashed the Caribbean outfit in the three-match series.
Bangladesh won the ODI series against West Indies by 3-0.
#BCB #Cricket #WIvBAN https://t.co/J11fLPBWHU
In the first ODI, the Windies scored 141 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 41 overs. Thereafter, they were bundled out for just 108 and 178 in the second and third ODI respectively. All the three matches were played at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
In the first ODI, Mehidy Hasan picked up three wickets and was named the Player of the Match.
The Bangladesh spin trio of Hossain, Mehidy, and Nasum Ahmed combined to pick up eight wickets in the second ODI. Mehidy picked up four while Nasum picked up three wickets.
Bangladesh went in with as many as five spin options in the third ODI, with Taijul Islam picking up five wickets.
India have quality spin bowlers in Chahal, Jadeja, and Axar Patel. The Windies batsmen could struggle against the Indian spinners in the upcoming ODI series.
#3. The current form of Indian players in international cricket
Most Indian players who are a part of the ODI squad have been in good form in the recent past.
Ravindra Jadeja, who is named the vice-captain of the Indian ODI team against West Indies, has been in good batting form. He scored a century in the rescheduled Test against England earlier this month.
Yuzvendra Chahal has also been in exceptional form. He picked up four wickets in the second ODI of the three-match series against England at Lord's. He followed it up with three wickets in the third match at Old Trafford.
The slow and low pitches in the Caribbean could benefit Chahal's style of bowling.
The likes of Prasidh Krishna, Siraj, and Thakur have been impressive in the limited opportunities they have received. They could look to cement their place in the Indian team in the absence of Shami and Bumrah.
Deepak Hooda averaged 151 in the T20I series against Ireland. He could look to establish his place in the Indian ODI team with a few senior players missing out in the middle order.
Suryakumar Yadav scored 171 runs that included a century against England in the three-match T20I series. He will look to replicate his form in T20Is to ODI cricket against the Caribbean outfit.
Ishan Kishan was impressive in the T20I series against South Africa and scored two half-centuries.
Thus, the current form of the Indian players could be the main factor that could shift the momentum towards the visitors in the upcoming ODI series.