WEST INDIES: West Indies had lost seven straight ODIs before their loss in the opening match, but skipper Nicholas Pooran remarked after the game that it “certainly [felt] like a win” for his team.
You could see the argument. In addition to losing their previous six games, West Indies had also lost the majority of them handily: by 120 runs and 53 runs against Pakistan, then with 55 balls left and an incredible 176 balls left against Bangladesh. West Indies failed to bat 50 overs in five of those six games.
West Indies played for the full 50 overs against India on Friday, and they were just one hit away from pulling off their third successful 300+ target chase in ODIs. There were some positives with the ball as well; at one point, India had appeared to have no trouble passing 350 runs, but the West Indies did a fantastic job of holding them back, taking five wickets and giving up just 83 runs in the final 15 overs.
Even yet, West Indies were playing close to full strength at home against an India team that was missing most of its first-choice players. Even though Pooran expressed pride in his team’s performance on Friday, he and his teammates would be desperate to record victories. They’ll also be cautious of false dawns. After all, West Indies scored 305 in a close loss in Multan to start their losing streak.
Players to watch out for
Shai Hope- He has consistently been one of ODI cricket’s most reliable run scorers, but as his seven off 18 balls in the first ODI demonstrated, those runs may occasionally arrive at a pace that harkens back to a previous era. Hope has the lowest strike rate (74.86) of the 16 players who have scored the most runs in ODIs since his debut. Tamim Iqbal is the only other player in the top 16 to have a strike rate under 80. However, he has a significant position in this West Indies lineup, and they are counting on him to impact his 100th ODI on Sunday significantly.
Shardul Thakur-The ODI economy rate for Shardul Thakur is 6.63. Only one bowler, Oshane Thomas, has performed worse among those who have at least 20 wickets since their debut. But Thakur adds more to the table, and his Friday performance perfectly encapsulates him. He entered the crease with barely nine balls remaining and blasted a last-ball boundary that proved very helpful considering India’s razor-thin victory margin.
Even though he only bowled eight overs and had India’s highest economy rate of any bowler, he took two crucial wickets, both of which had something to do with his gambler’s instinct of encouraging batters to chase him.
Like many of his performances, it had flaws, but it also had its strengths. Can he do more, though? And given that Deepak Chahar is already making good progress in his rehabilitation from the back injury that prevented him from playing in IPL 2022, could he need to take additional measures to keep out rivals for the No. 8 position?
Squad status
Given how close they came to winning on Friday with solid performances from several players in their starting lineup, it seems doubtful that West Indies will make any changes. Jason Holder, who tested positive for Covid-19, will remain unavailable.
West Indies (probable): 1 Shai Hope (wk), 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Shamarh Brooks, 4 Brandon King, 5 Nicholas Pooran (capt), 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Akeal Hosein, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Jayden Seales, 11 Gudakesh Motie.
Due to a knee injury, Ravindra Jadeja missed the first ODI, and the BCCI has now confirmed that he will also miss the game on Sunday. Expect India to keep the same starting lineup from the first ODI; however, Axar Patel’s fitness status remains unknown after leaving the field on Friday with what appeared to be a hamstring issue. India rarely makes forced lineup changes when a series is still in play.
India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Mohammed Siraj, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Prasidh Krishna.
Also Read: Everything You Need to Know about Today’s ODI between India and the West Indies
