West Indies will host India for a five-match One-day International (ODI) series in the Caribbean Islands. With the events that have been unfolding over the past couple of days, this series will be a keenly followed contest, especially from the Indian perspective. As far as the hosts are concerned, the West Indies will know that this may be the perfect opportunity to strike at an Indian squad which is travelling without a coach and has plenty deal with off the field. Hence, the Windies will definitely attempt to revive thier fortunes on home soil.
Led by Jason Holder, the Windies squad is the same that featured in the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in June which ended in a 1-1 draw. For the first two ODIs, the team doesn’t include any notable names. However, players such as Evin Lewis and Kieran Powell are hard hitting batsmen. Rovman Powell is another name who featured in the KKR side in the recently concluded IPL is known for his big hitting prowess. Another player who has recently come up the ranks and has been duly rewarded with a place in the ODI side is Roston Chase. In the middle order, Chase has made quite an impact in Test matches where he hit three centuries in ten matches. Now it will be his turn to showcase his talent in the ODI setup.
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Though, the hosts have suffered one setback in the absence of fast bowler Shanon Gabriel. Gabriel is out of action as he is undergoing rehabilitation for an injury he sustained earlier. So the onus will be on Alzarri Joseph and Jason Holder to lead the pace attack. Joseph is a raw talent and has played only seven ODIs so far but has a decent economy rate of 6.11 and an average of 32.08 and strike rate of 31.5 But what he stands out for is his ability to clock speeds of above 140 and that too consistently.
In the spin department, a lot will be dependent on the experienced Devendra Bishoo. However, the likes of Sunil Narine continue to miss out on the action as the WI board struggles to fix its internal problems and disputes over player contracts. But with this team, West Indies will definitely attempt to resurrect themselves and reclaim some of their lost glory.
WEST INDIES SQUAD: Jason Holder (C), Devendra Bishoo, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shai Hope (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammad, Ashley Nurse, Kieran Powell, Rovman Powell, Kesrick Williams.
India vs West Indies Schedule:
June 23: West Indies vs India, 1st ODI, Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad, 6:30 pm IST
June 25: West Indies vs India, 2nd ODI, Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad, 6:30 pm IST
June 30: West Indies vs India, 3rd ODI, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua, 6:30 pm IST
July 02: West Indies vs India, 4th ODI, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua 6:30 pm IST
July 06: West Indies vs India, 5th ODI, Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica, 7:30 pm IST
July 09: West Indies vs India, Only T20I, Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica 9 pm IST
