What happened the last time India played an ODI match in Port of Spain, Trinidad?
Following their successful tour of England, India are set to compete in a white-ball series against the West Indies. The two teams will feature in a three-match ODI series before battling out for a five-match T20I series later this month.
The opening one-day international will take place on Friday (July 22) at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Led by opener Shikhar Dhawan, India possess a relatively young squad as experienced stars, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, have taken some time off following a recent tour of England.
Here's our India playing Xl against West Indies for the first ODI 🏏🇮🇳
Who would you remove/add from the Xl? 🤔
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So far, India have played 21 ODIs at the Port of Spain, winning 11 of them. They have lost nine of these encounters while one match ended in a no-result.
Situated in Trinidad, the Queen's Park Oval surface is a tacky one as it gives hope to both pacers and spinners, especially as the game progresses. However, the batters will have their moments, especially if a team makes a good start as they can surmount that innate middle-over lethargy.
India won their last game in Port of Spain against West Indies in 2019
The last time India toured the Caribbean island was in August of 2019. Following India's 3-0 win in the T20Is, the two teams featured in a three-match ODI series. After the first game was washed out in Guyana, the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad hosted the next two one-dayers, which India convincingly.
During the rain-affected third ODI, which was India's last game in Trinidad, West Indies won the toss and batted first. The swashbuckling Caribbean openers in Chris Gayle (72) and Evin Lewis (43) powered West Indies to a flying start, scoring 114 runs inside the powerplay. The Indian bowlers did pull things back and hauled the scoring rate.
Led by Khaleel Ahmed (3 for 68), the visitors' bowlers kept picking up crucial wickets regularly. The start-stop innings had two rain interventions, which reduced the contest to a 35-over affair. While the Windies scored 240 runs in their 35 overs, India's revised target as per the D/L method was 255.
India win the series 2-0. They beat West Indies in a rain-curtailed third ODI by 6 wickets. Kohli - 114* | Shreyas Iyer - 65 #WIvIND https://t.co/0knEw6Xs1w
During the chase, India lost Rohit Sharma early on when the 'chase-master' Virat Kohli entered the crease. The then-Indian skipper helped his side reach the target skillfully and clobbered his fourth ODI ton in the West Indies. Kohli (114*) stitched together a match-winning partnership of 120 runs alongside Shreyas Iyer (65).
Iyer, who was in a blazing mood, smashed three fours and five sixes. Kohli stayed till the end and finished the job for his team as India registered a series-clinching six-wicket win.
Interestingly enough, it was also Chris Gayle's last one-day international.