*INDIA VS WESTINDIES 2nd ODI IN A 3 MATCH ODI SERIES 2023 PREVIEW*
*THE BUILD UP:*
*COMVINCTION IS THE NEED OF THE HOUR:*
India won the first game but to call it “A win by ease” would be incorrect. Though they had their moments in the game, they also struggled to wrap it up quickly. On a pitch that turned and gripped nicely for the spinners, India were not at bay and them losing 5 wickets while chasing a paltry total doesn’t advertise the brand of cricket that India wish to play leading into the mega event this October. Ideally, the top 3 which looked a different one for India should have pocketed this game but so dire was the situation, that Rohit the Indian skipper, came out to bat at number 7 to finish things off and to imagine that Shardul batted ahead of him and Kohli, is simply baffling and in one way, can be looked as a joke too.
The Windies did remarkably well to smoke some energy into this contest which at the mid inning, looked like a no-contest. Their batting however was abysmal post the Hetmyer dismissal ; they fell prey to the spin of Jadeja and Kuldeep who were breathing fire and never ever did the Indians let the WI batters breath. What I fail to understand is how WI end up serving turning tracks to Indians, who know how to make full use of these conditions and strike gold. They did so in the first test at Dominica and without the Indians returning any favour, decided to produce a turner yesterday as well. It goes without saying that WI will compete better if a more sporting and fast paced wicket is laid out. We saw a collapse where the Shai Hope led side ended up crumbling for a mere 26 for the loss of seven wickets with the captain as usual, top scoring and helping the hosts cross 100 but a performance like this specially at this level, demands some serious answers and is one aspect of their game, which they would like to reverse come tomorrow.
*IND PROBABLE XI:*
Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan(Wk), Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar
India, in a WorldCup year, should not look to experiment unnecessarily. Despite Kishan scoring a quick fifty,their decision to completely flip Rohit’s position was a poor one. He needs proper game time at that spot and in a tricky chase like this, it would have made even more sense if he walked out earlier. Even Kohli’s position should not be fiddled with, with the two veterans of Indian Cricket batting at their usual spots and getting in the groove. We saw the results last game where none of the batters had a clue about how the game needs to be approached after their batting slots were all made to go haywire.
From whatever I saw of Mukesh Kumar from ODI 1, he looked convincing and a very promising swing bowler. His odd ball nipped off the surface and caught the batters by surprise in an otherwise accurately bowled outing for the junior. India haven’t had the services of a swing bowler post Bhuvi in a while and this could be a big breakout if he continues to build on this memorable debut. Mukesh reminded me very much of Hazlewood in terms of his consistency and how he kept pitching the ball in the right areas to ask questions and this is one feature of his game play that will help him succeed in the rest of the ODI series as well.
Kuldeep’s impressive show with the bowl means that Chahal will have to sit out again and given the team benefit in this, I feel it is the right call. The chinaman has been a force to deal with in ODIs since 2022 and to see him deceive batters with so much ease boasts well given how the CWC will be held in India only and picking up a cluster of wickets in games like these, only increases the confidence. The duo of Kuldeep and Jadeja Will be kept a close eye on even tomorrow.
Shubman Gill, the new batting sensation who has taken the world by storm has often faced trouble just like his idol, to the deliveries outside the off stump and he fell prey to that even last game. Excited to watch how he goes about it this time around.
*WI PROBABLE XI:*
K Mayers, Brandon King, Athanaze, Shai Hope(c)(wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Dominic Drakes/Alzarri Joseph, Y Cariah, Jayden Seales, Motie
Expect Alzarri to be slotted in right away with the form that he is in. His hit-the-deck-hard kind of bowling and his supreme record vs Kohli and Rohit should keep him in good stead ahead of the second ODI where WI would look to come back into the series level it. Expect one out of Drakes or Seales to sit out in order to accommodate him. Just imagine the havoc he could create knowing that even without him, India were left reeling with only 5 wickets remaining.
Shai Hope will be the man in focus again as WI would look to forget the collapse they faced last time and post a good total on board this time around. The highest run scorer from WI from last game oozed class and confidence with his drives and pulls and expect the veteran(the most experienced WestIndian in this lineup) to make it count again. What he requires from the others is support and some aggression so that he can continue his anchor-like role in the side and keep the scoreboard ticking. His strike rate has been a matter of concern for a whole lot of years now but even if he manages to play at that rate, expect him to get the job done. The southpaw, Hetmyer, showed alot of promise before making a fool out of himself and falling to an unorthodox shot and his partnership with Hope at a decent rate had most certainly smoked energy into the Windies fan. He would hope to go big tomorrow against an opposition he has a liking towards, specially in this form of our beautiful game.
*MY PREDICTIONS:*
*FOR IND:*
Highest run getter- Shubman Gill/Virat Kohli
Highest wicket taker- Shardul Thakur/Kuldeep Yadav
*FOR WI:*
Highest run getter- Shai Hope/Shimron Hetmyer
Highest wicket taker- Alzarri Joseph/Motie
*FOR THE GAME:*
India to wrap up the series and lead 2-0