1st ODI: India vs West Indies
West Indies head to the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Sunday to take on Virat Kohli’s India in the first ODI, and the tourists are in need of a pickup.
They arrive in Guwahati on the back of a 2-0 Test defeat, thanking their lucky stars that it was just a two-match series! Touring India is always hard, for sure, but Windies captain Jason Holder is made of stern stuff and he’ll be ready to rally his troops for a crack at the one-day game.
Any limited overs clash between ODI India vs West Indies is bound to entertain, and this day/night match will be no exception. Both teams are beginning preparations for the 2019 World Cup, and putting up a good show in this series will fill the West Indies with much-needed confidence.
Talking Points
Kohli is determined to lead the best team
India came up against the biggest threat to their dominance, in the summer, when they lost both the Test Series and ODI contest against England. But skipper Virat Kohli stayed positive throughout, leading by example with the bat and captaining his side with his customary dynamism.
He leads a squad which gets stronger by the year. India, long vaunted as a nation producing the world’s best spin bowlers, evolved with the modern game and now have an array of fine fast bowlers, once the preserve of the great West Indian teams of the 1970s and 1980s.
Umesh Yadav took ten wickets in the second test in Hyderabad as India won by an innings and took the series 2-0. His lively pace and accuracy were too much for the fragile tourists. The West Indies were never in that contest, and their fans will hope their one-day skills can make the ODIs a more compelling watch; India vs West Indies odds point very clearly to a home win, though.
Alongside Umesh, the tenacious Mohammed Shami provides another pace threat: he was excellent in England over the summer and regularly beat the bat with his pace, seam and impeccable line and length. The rapid Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be rested in the early part of this series.
Kohli sits in the middle of a formidable batting line up, with Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan at the top and KL Rahul likely to be at four, and there could be a place for the exciting young talent Rishabh Pant. His swashbuckling batting caught the eye in England, while his wicketkeeping was more problematic. But with MS Dhoni behind the sticks, Pant will hope to make his ODI debut as a specialist batsman.
Windies must wait for Big Chris
The tourists’ talisman, the larger-than-life, six-hitting Chris Gayle, is taking a rest. He’s announced his availability for the home series against England when he’ll stake his claim for a World Cup place. But in the meantime, Holder must try to beat India, at least once, without Gayle’s window-smashing impact.
He can call on the ODI experience of Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo, but he could also look to youth in a quest to find some new talent for the World Cup campaign. Twenty-one-year-old Jamaican fast bowler Oshane Thomas is one to watch.
History
The period between the early seventies and the nineties was a golden time for West Indian Cricket, but it’s been a tough twenty years since. Meanwhile, India have been up there at the top of the game with the likes of Australia, England and South Africa.
The last ODI meeting between India and the Windies was last summer. Kohli led his team to a 3-1 win in the Caribbean, with Ajinkya Rahane scoring 336 runs at an average of 67.
India vs West Indies results in ODIs tell a story of West Indian dominance through the years, with the tourists winning 61 of 121 tests to India’s 56. Jason Holder will be desperate to avoid a whitewash. His first aim is to keep his nation’s nose in front of this great team.
Betting Tip
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India vs West Indies | India to make the highest opening partnership @ 1.50 |
| October 21, 16:00 (GMT+8) |
Take a look at the ICC ODI Rankings, and the SBOBET odds make a lot of sense. With India hot on England’s tail at the top, the West Indies are looking up a long way from ninth. But I believe the ODI format does give the tourists a better chance.
Win one game and see where it takes you, it is 11 versus 11 after all. But it is a big ask, and Holder’s team will have to be at their very best and hope India have an off day. Home advantage will play a part, and their biggest problem could be momentum if the tourists lose in Guwahati.
The Windies are out there at 3.94 to win, while India are heavily odds-on at 1.20. It’s a venue where batters can dominate, and you can bet on India to hit the most sixes at 1.95, with a -0.50 handicap, with West Indies at 2.01 +0.50.
But with Rohit and Shikhar opening up for India, the tourists will have a battle on to draw first blood.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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