IND vs WI, 1st ODI: Preview, stats, and more
India are set to play host to West Indies for a three-match ODIs, starting February 6. The ODI tournament opener will be played on Sunday in Ahmedabad. Both India and West Indies will aim to kick off the tour on a positive note by winning the first ODI. Rohit Sharma has returned and will lead India in this game. Here's the complete preview.
Why does it matter?
India and West Indies are coming into this series on the back of contrasting results. The Kieron Pollard-led outfit will come into this tour after winning five-match home T20I series against England 3-2. India, meanwhile, were beaten by South Africa (away) during their previous tour. SA won three-match Test series 2-1 and blanked (0-3) India in the ODI series.
India could miss the services of crucial players
India have been dealt with a blow as three players and a reserve bowler (Navdeep Saini) in their squad have contracted COVID-19. The trio of Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Shikhar Dhawan will likely miss the opening ODI after contracting coronavirus. Ishan Kishan or Mayank Agarwal could open India's innings alongside Rohit. KL Rahul will miss the first ODI too.
India likely to play Kuldeep and Chahal
Rohit highlighted the combination of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal and said playing them is a certainty. In a virtual press conference, Rohit said Kuldeep and Chahal have been great performers in the past and created an impact in those years whenever they have played together. He also said in the middle they were left out because of the combination India wanted to get.
WI have a strong outfit on offer
After stunning England, WI will look to record another upset by defeating India. Kemar Roach has been recalled in ODI after two years and will be desperate to showcase his talent. Nkrumah Bonner is another player to watch out for. He has been impressive in Tests since debuting, scoring 577 runs in nine games. Akeal Hosein and Alzarri Joseph will lead the bowling charge.
A look at the probable XI of both teams
India probable XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal West Indies probable XI: Shai Hope (wicket-keeper), Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Nkrumah Bonner, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard (captain), Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph, Akeal Hosein
Here is the head-to-head record
India and West Indies have played 133 ODI matches to date. The visiting team has managed to win 63 games. India have pocketed 64 victories. Two games ended in a tie while four encounters did not have a result. India have won four out of their last five ODIs against West Indies. India won their last ODI series against WI 2-1.
Key details about the match
The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium will favor the spinners. The surface is expected to get slower as the match progresses. Batters will have to work hard for runs in the middle overs. This stadium has produced several low-scoring encounters over the years. The match will start at 01:30 PM IST. The Star Sports Network has the broadcasting rights for this game.
1,000th ODI match for Team India
The opening ODI match between India and West Indies will be the hosts' 1,000th one-day game. They have played 999 games so far and registered 518 victories. They have lost 431 encounters while nine games have resulted in a tie (NR: 41).
