West Indies batted well in the first ODI but the strength of the Indian batting was too much for their bowlers to handle. I expect the Windies to compete again but Kohli, Gill and Co should have too much firepower.
Key Stats - Kohli & Gill Superb
- India’s Virat Kohli has scored 75*, 65, 74 & 139* in his last 5 knocks.
- India’s Shubman Gill has scores of 77, 44, 50 & 110 in his last 6 innings.
- India’s Kuldeep Yadav took 4/40 in the 1st ODI.
- India have won 4 of their last 5 ODIs against the West Indies
- West Indies’ Justin Greaves has scored 35 & 101 in his last 2 matches.
- West Indies’ John Campbell has scores of 27, 24 & 62in his last 5 innings.
- West Indies’ Alzarri Joseph has taken 4/41 & 2/27 in his last 4 matches.
- The Barsapara pitch averages around 345 in the first innings of an ODI
India Dominant
India lead 4-1 in their last five ODIs against West Indies including victory in the opening match of this series.
India in Control
India took complete control of the opening ODI in Thiruvananthapuram with an emphatic eight-wicket victory, underlining their strength in the 50-over format. They knocked off their target of 296 with more than eight overs remaining.
Shubman Gill laid the foundation with a composed innings of 110 while Virat Kohli produced a magnificent unbeaten 139 (10 fours, nine sixes). Their huge partnership effectively took the contest away from the West Indies after Rohit Sharma had contributed 32 at the top of the order.
Kuldeep Yadav was India’s standout bowler, taking 4/40 and breaking several important partnerships. Prasidh Krishna supported him with two wickets as India recovered well after the visitors had raced to 136/1 from their first 20 overs.
It was an impressive all-round performance from India that married controlled bowling through the middle overs with a dominant top-order chase.
West Indies Bowlers need Solutions
The West Indies’ top order brought their A-game in the first ODI to hit 295/7 batting first, but their bowlers just couldn’t contain India’s powerful top order.
Justin Greaves led the batting effort with an excellent 101 while John Campbell contributed 62 as the opening pair helped the West Indies race to 136/1 from the first 20 overs. Keacy Carty and Shai Hope departed cheaply, after which Amir Jangoo provided an important late contribution with an unbeaten 58 to lift his side close to 300.
The greater concern was the lack of success of their bowling. Alzarri Joseph and Roston Chase claimed one wicket each but the West Indies struggled to apply sustained pressure once Gill and Kohli had settled at the crease.
There were encouraging signs with the bat, particularly from Greaves, Campbell and Jangoo, but the West Indies will need a much tighter bowling performance if they are to offer India a serious challenge in the remaining matches.
Team News & Predicted Lineups
India’s side was phenomenal so they are unlikely to make changes .The West Indies also performed well across the board so they are likely to keep the faith with the same starting XI.
India (possible XI): Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul, Naman Dhir, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna.
West Indies (possible XI): John Campbell, Justin Greaves, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope (c), Amir Jangoo, Jewel Andrew, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph.