Trinidad ODI today: India aim to flex batting muscle against West Indies

Port of Spain: Since January 2016, the Indian top three of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have scored 1449 one-day international runs against West Indies at an average of 79.63. They will be looking to press this advantage against the hosts in the second ODI at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad on Sunday.

Having swept the Twenty20 International series with a 3-0 margin, India looked ready to take that form into 50-over cricket in the first ODI at Guyana. However, the game was washed out with West Indies on 54/1 in 13 overs. This is now a must-win for both sides, since it will give the winning team a vital 1-0 lead going into the final game.

West Indies, who have failed to win a game in the series so far, will hope to get a positive result in this ODI. They have incurred six ODI losses in last seven games at the Queen’s Park Oval, four of which have come against India.

Jason Holder and his team will be keen to improve that record on Sunday. While Chris Gayle struggled in the first ODI - he was dismissed for a 31-ball 4 - he will have extra motivation going into this game: the left-hander is just seven runs away from displacing Brian Lara as West Indies’ top run-scorer in ODI cricket.

For India, skipper Kohli, who has scored the most runs against West Indies since January 2012 - 1332 at 78.35 - will be key for the visitors. Kuldeep Yadav, who claimed Gayle’s wicket in the first game, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the highest visiting wicket-taker at Port of Spain, will be expected to spearhead the bowling attack.

While the first ODI was washed out, these two sides locked horns in the format recently in a robin-round clash at the 2019 World Cup. It was a comprehensive 125-run win for India that saw Kohli and MS Dhoni score fifties, before Mohammed Shami claimed a four-wicket haul to skittle West Indies out for 143.

India captain Virat Kohli said, “A few of the pitches in the Caribbean can really test you. Some pitches might have good pace and bounce but some of them will be on the slower side and you need to be patient. The team that adapts well and plays better percentage of cricket will benefit. Both teams will look to do that in the coming days.”

West Indies captain Jason Holder said, “Our openers needed to spend some time in the middle [in the first ODI]. Hopefully, the weather stays good and we get to play some cricket. But we need to stay consistent and if we can get that, it can bring in good habits for people.” (UNI)