West Indies look to remain within the current as India construct in the direction of World Cup
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India are gearing up for a house World Cup, fine-tuning their mixture with simply over two months to go for the large occasion. West Indies will play no half in it.
While ODIs would be the most keenly adopted format of worldwide cricket over the approaching weeks, West Indies could surprise what precisely they’re attempting to attain after they play their 50-overs cricket. They’ll need to choose themselves up, after all, after the shocks they suffered on the Qualifier in Zimbabwe, however choose themselves as much as do what?
With no World Cup to organize for, there is no wider context to ODI cricket for West Indies for now. There aren’t any World Cup Super League factors to win, and there is no menace simply but that they will fail to make the 2027 World Cup, which is able to characteristic 14 groups who will qualify based mostly on their ODI rankings.
West Indies’ followers, nevertheless, would do nicely to not mistake the shortage of a wider context for a scarcity of goal. While it might be straightforward to take a look at the crew’s failure to qualify for the World Cup as an indication of their unstoppable decline as a cricketing drive, the fact is not fairly so abject. The high Associate groups have made white-ball cricket extra aggressive now than it ever has been, and the hole between the world’s ninth-best and Thirteenth-best ODI groups has by no means been narrower. It simply so occurs that the game is rising when its World Cup has shrunk.
West Indies will do nicely, then, to place the Qualifier behind them, put the World Cup out of their minds, and cease worrying about historical past. Shai Hope and Brandon King should not should really feel worse about lacking out on the World Cup than Brandon McMullen or Harry Tector do simply because they occur to play for a crew that when featured Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards.
The way forward for West Indies cricket is just too snarled within the sport’s economics and geopolitics for one set of gamers to have any actual affect on it. What they will do on this sequence, nevertheless, is keep within the current, take note of the subsequent ball, after which the one after it, and let their opponents fear about issues like World Cups.
Form information
West Indies LWLTL (final 5 accomplished ODIs, most up-to-date first)
India LLWWW
In the highlight
He has 5 ODI a whole bunch, together with two towards India, and has a 35-plus common and a 100-plus strike fee after 47 video games. There aren’t too many cricketing causes for Shimron Hetmyer not having performed a 50-overs recreation for West Indies since July 2021; he’ll hope this contemporary begin will rejuvenate his profession in maroon.
Despite all of the competitors he faces within the spin division, Kuldeep Yadav has been a relentless in India’s ODI assault this yr, taking part in eight of their 9 video games and choosing up 15 wickets at a mean of 21.13. He has a wonderful report within the West Indies, the place he has 11 wickets in seven video games at 20.00 – among the many international locations and areas he has performed ODIs in, he has a greater common solely in South Africa (13.88). Another good sequence right here will maintain him away from Yuzvendra Chahal as India’s premier 50-overs wristspin choice.
Team news
With Hetmyer and Oshane Thomas back after long absences, Gudakesh Motie, Yannic Cariah and Jayden Seales again from damage, and Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran and Keemo Paul unavailable, West Indies will area a new-look mixture as they attempt to make a brand new starting as an ODI aspect.
West Indies: 1 Brandon King, 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Shai Hope (capt & wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Kevin Sinclair, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Gudakesh Motie/Yannic Cariah/Oshane Thomas, 11 Jayden Seales
India have currently adopted an ODI mixture that options three allrounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and both Axar Patel or Shardul Thakur relying on whether or not they need to play an additional spinner or seamer. They’ll possible have that option to make in Bridgetown, in addition to two others, with Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson competing for the wicketkeeper’s spot and a potential three-way battle for the 2 seamers’ spots with Mohammed Siraj rested for the ODIs.
India: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Sanju Samson/Ishan Kishan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Axar Patel/Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Umran Malik, 11 Jaydev Unadkat/Mukesh Kumar
Pitch and circumstances
Kensington Oval hosted all three matches throughout West Indies’ ODI sequence towards New Zealand in August 2022. The surfaces for that sequence produced first-innings totals of 190, 212 and 301, and had one thing in them for each seamers and spinners. While the top three wicket-takers have been quick bowlers Trent Boult, Jason Holder and Tim Southee, the fingerspinners have been laborious to get away, with Kevin Sinclair, Akeal Hosein and Mitchell Santner ending with economic system charges beneath 5.
That sequence, nevertheless, featured day-night video games. All three ODIs on this sequence can be day video games, with Indian TV audiences in thoughts. The climate may have an effect on the primary ODI, with a 20% likelihood of rain on Thursday. The forecast for the second ODI on Saturday, nevertheless, is grimmer, with a 50% likelihood of rain.
Stats and trivia
- India have won their last eight ODIs towards West Indies. Their final defeat got here in Chennai again in December 2019.
- Mohammed Siraj (20.72) has the best average of any India bowler to have taken not less than 40 ODI wickets.
- Hope is 171 runs away from changing into the eleventh West Indies batter to the 5000 mark in ODIs. Rovman Powell (975) and Brandon King (969), in the meantime, are nearing the 1000 mark.
- Jadeja wants 9 wickets to change into the seventh India bowler to succeed in the 200 mark in ODIs. If he will get there, he’ll change into the primary India participant since Kapil Dev (3783 runs and 253 wickets) to finish the 2000 runs and 200 wickets double in ODIs.
Karthik Krishnaswamy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo