UNITED STATES. Florida: Current India’s limited overs tour of the West Indies will conclude with the fourth and fifth Twenty20 (T20) Internationals between these two teams in Florida, United States of America (USA). The fourth match will be held at Central Broward Park in Lauderhill on Saturday, August 6, with the fifth and final match of the series taking place the following day at the same venue.
Cricket has been played in the United States for 12 years. Florida hasn’t yet become the cricket hotspot that the administration had anticipated, though, for a variety of reasons. There will only be 12 matches played amongst Full Members after this weekend’s two matches between West Indies and India.
However, it will help establish Florida as a cricketing outpost if the two teams can put on the same kind of entertainment, they did six years ago. On that occasion, while chasing West Indies’ score of 245, India scored 244 and lost the match by one run. Due to the significant immigrant population from these two regions of the world in Florida, these two are the perfect teams to lure audiences.
A lot of attention will be paid to Rohit Sharma’s fitness after he was forced to retire hurt with back spasms in the third T20I. Since taking on the role of full-time captain, he has missed more games than he has participated in, and India will not want to take a chance on a freak injury so close to the World Cup. He will only play if he is entirely confident in his fitness.
With the latest update from the Indian cricket team, Rohit Sharma is fit to play both T20s. In terms of bowling, India might go full-strength by selecting Harshal Patel over Avesh Khan, who has not had the greatest of series. One more change that may happen is Sanju Samson replacing Shreyas Iyer, who is struggling with his form.
These games may be the last opportunity for the two sides to evaluate one another before naming their squads for the T20 World Cup in Australia. So, on a short field, it would be an excellent test for Arshdeep Singh and R Ashwin to establish their cases for the backup positions.
The West Indies are less familiar with their strongest combo. T20 cricket World Cup’s former champion has to compete in World Cup qualifiers. For various reasons, Sheldon Cottrell, Fabian Allen, and Evin Lewis will miss the games against India. With the series at stake, this is an excellent opportunity for the squad’s reserve players to get into the lineup.
The Pitch Report
The surface can be uncertain at venues that aren’t used to hosting international cricket regularly. But the boundaries are short, and there should be plenty of opportunities for stroke players to score. Except for the occasional passing shower, there is no significant threat to the matches.
India: (Probable XI): 1. Rohit Sharma (capt), 2. Suryakumar Yadav, 3. Sanju Samson, 4. Rishabh Pant (wk), 5. Hardik Pandya, 6. Dinesh Karthik, 7. Ravindra Jadeja, 8. Harshal Patel, 9. R Ashwin, 10. Yuzvendra Chahal, 11. Arshdeep Singh.
West Indies: (Probable XI): 1. Kyle Mayers, 2. Brandon King, 3. Nicholas Pooran (capt), 4. Shimron Hetmyer, 5. Rovman Powell, 6. Devon Thomas (wk), 7. Jason Holder, 8. Akeal Hosein, 9. Dominic Drakes, 10. Alzarri Joseph, 11. Obed McCoy.
Also Read: India vs West Indies: 2nd T20I Preview
