West Indies tri-series 2013: Five reasons why India will defeat the West Indies

It has been a sudden meltdown for India after the triumph of the Champions Trophy. And while the defeat to the West Indies in the first game could have been discounted for, the humiliation against Sri Lanka must have hurt.

It was one of the most ordinary performances that this team has delivered in the last couple of years. The insipid display was a clear indication of lack of motivation, wearied minds and fatigued bodies. It is important to make the observation why the team is in such a shape. The amount of cricket being played is definitely sucking the pleasure out of the game – for the viewers as well as for the players. That, however, cannot be the excuse for a lacklustre performance at a competitive event.

Meanwhile, reports are coming in that Duncan Fletcher’s spell with the team is likely to be extended till the end of the 2015 World Cup. He would have had a job to do after the crushing defeat against Sri Lanka, and one hopes that the body language of the team changes for good.

Stand-in skipper Virat Kohli is not a person who takes defeat easily, and he would be pushing his boys hard when they come out to play the do-or-die game against West Indies. Given the state of the points table, India will need to win both their matches to have any chance of reaching the finals. The remainder of this series will be a challenge to this young squad, and will bring to light the character they exhibit under pressure.

Here is a list of five reasons why India can win the match against the West Indies:

5. Test of character

Today’s match will be a test of VIrat Kohli and his team’s character

One expects this team to bounce back after the humiliation they suffered against Sri Lanka. The ‘new attitude’ of this young Indian side was hailed at the Champions Trophy, and everyone talked about how they looked like winners from the very start of that tournament.

That self-belief has been missing so far; but as Virat Kohli put it, it was a ‘reality check’ for this side. If India have ambitions of being the best side in this format of the game, they will have to show that they do not depend upon any one individual and that they can negotiate with unfamiliar surfaces. A lot of that ambition has to realize itself through the captain, and Virat Kohli will have to deliver on that account.