Daijiworld Media Network
Kochi, Nov 21 : After an emotional affair in the Test series we are all set for the ODIs to begin. India are on a high after the series win against Australia. The top order of Dhawan, Rohit and Kohli are all in good form. All three got hundreds in the Australia series. The middle order of Yuvraj and Raina did not get going and that was because of some good hostile fast bowling from Johnson. But they will look for this 3-match series to get some runs under their belt. The West Indies team has a new look when it comes to ODIs. Some of the stars like Narine, Charles return with their skipper Dwayne Bravo. The guys coming in would like to make a statement after some of the others were criticised for the poor show in the Tests.
West Indies have won the toss and have opted to bat
Pitch Report: 'There are quiet a bit of cracks. It has rained as well so that might effect the captains decision. The average score is around 220-230 but it will be a high scoring game', says Ravi Shastri
Dhoni: 'We were looking to bat first as well. It is humid and the pitch might get slow as the game progresses. We are all fit and there is only one change as Jaydev comes in for Vinay. Even the Bengaluru crowd is bit noisy but we are used to playing in front such crowds.'
Bravo: 'We will bat first. It is a fresh pitch so will make use of it. There are a bit of cracks so it might turn later. We will look to be positive and there are 5 to 6 guys coming in. It is important to get over it and play some good cricket in the ODIs.'
Teams:
West Indies (Playing XI): Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles(w), Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Bravo(c), Narsingh Deonarine, Darren Sammy, Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul, Jason Holder
India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Jaydev Unadkat
Match Preview, by Nikhil Narain
It is always hard to say, 'good-bye', always difficult to get over emotional farewells and ever so much more when the person bidding adieu is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. As the nation and its billion inhabitants still recover from the proceedings of November 16th, 2013 in Mumbai, an ODI series gets underway some 1500 kms away in the south-western coastal city of Kochi - for as they say, 'The Show Must Go On!'
The Nehru Stadium will play host to the first of the three ODIs between India and the West Indies. India sit pretty at the top of the ODI rankings while the team from the Caribbean languishes at number 7. India were victorious 3-2 over Australia in a run-extravaganza just prior to the West Indies tour. While their batsmen tormented and annihilated the Australian bowling attack and made mountainous chases seem like a walk in the park, its the bowlers who would be giving the Indian captain, MS Dhoni sleepless nights and turning his hair white.
The West Indies, meanwhile, need to show some fight and gusto after capitulating within three days in both the Tests in Kolkata and Mumbai. A change in leadership is most welcome, given the fact that Darren Sammy went wicketless in whites. Clive Lloyd accused the West Indies of suffering from a T20 hangover in the Test series. A fitting reply for Dwayne Bravo's men would be to go out on an ODI high!
India
India would start as favourites and once again look to their batsmen to provide the goods. Rohit Sharma with 1071 runs from 22 innings is the third highest run-getter in ODIs in 2013. He has hit a purple patch and recently became only the third batsmen in history (after Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar) to register a double ton in ODI cricket. Shikhar Dhawan is not far behind and is just 9 short of 1000 aggregate runs himself for the calendar year. Virat Kohli has amassed a staggering 1033 runs at 54.36 per dismissal at a strike rate of 97.63 in 2013. The top-3 will be followed by the likes of Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh. The latters's form will be the only cause of worry in the Indian camp. MS Dhoni is one of the best finishers in the game's history and with Ravindra Jadeja back in the mix, India's batting looks strong and intimidating.
The bowling needs redemption. Ishant Sharma was the first casualty of the Australian ODI tour and unless urgent measures are adopted, the West Indies batting line-up is well capable of benching a few more Indian bowlers especially if the nature of the wickets continues to aid batsmen. Mohammad Shami's sudden rise in the Test series augurs well for the Indian team. Dhoni has insisted that his fast bowlers have been training hard in the nets practisng yorkers for the death. India would be hoping that R Ashwin and Jadeja can fox the West Indian batsmen with their guile and spin.
West Indies
The West Indian batting line-up is top heavy. The big three - Chris Gayle, Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels would need to fire and do the bulk of the scoring. Gayle hasn't had a great year but averages 55.85 in India. He has six tons from 22 ODI appearances. Bravo and Johnson Charles have been their most prolific run-scorers in 2013 with 614 and 612 aggregate runs respectively. Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy would need to provide the impetus coming lower down the order.
Ravi Rampaul will lead the West Indian pace attack and would be supported by Jason Holder. The latter at 6 feet, 7 inches could pose a few questions for the famed Indian batting with his bounce and pace. But it will be Sunil Narine who would hold the trump card to their fortunes. The crafty off-spinner has 23 wickets from 19 ODI innings in 2013. Although skipper Bravo is ahead in the wickets tally, it is the economy rate of 4.53 which is the outstanding statistic for the spinner.
Stats Trivia
- Ravindra Jadeja with 46 wickets is the second highest wicket-taker in ODIs in 2013.
- Virat Kohli is just 81 runs short of 5000 runs in ODI cricket. Should he get there at Kochi, he would equal Viv Richards' record of the fastest to 5000 (114 innings).
- Ravi Rampaul with 93 ODI wickets needs 7 more to become the 14th West Indian to reach the landmark of 100.
- India beat the West Indies 4-1 in the last bilateral ODI series between the two countries in India in 2011.
Pitch and Conditions
Rains are predicted throughout the day and could well play spoilsport for the opener. The wicket might be a little damp and moist and may assist the faster men with the two new balls. Otherwise, a run-feast is expected and the bowlers may have their task cut out.