India was able to win the test series against their hosts, West Indies, and climb to the second rank in the WTC Table. It is now time for the visitors to take on the 2-time ODI World Cup-winning team that is struggling to make a breakthrough. Not to forget, they had to play qualifiers for the tournament. West Indies could not advance to the global event, but its spirits are still high to prove that they can do wonders at any time, no matter the situation.
The first ODI between India and West Indies will begin at 7 pm IST on July 27, 2023. Kensington Oval Barbados is hosting the opener. Rohit Sharma’s men will tackle Shai Hope’s army.
The weather condition is expected to be dry, making it ideal for batters and bowlers to enjoy the pitch. However, it has often been seen that teams choose to bowl first on this ground to understand how the ball is coming to bat. An average of 239 runs have been recorded in the first innings. Bowlers, spinners, or pacers could look to start since batters will take time to adjust to the conditions.
The temperature will be between 27 and 31 degrees. There is a quarter-percent chance that the event will be disturbed by the natural showers falling right from the clouds. The Indian team enters the field with a higher chance of winning the first of three ODIs. Per top cricket betting sites, India has a nearly 78% chance of sliding the win toward them.
Players from India to look out for are Ruturaj Gaikwad and Hardik Pandya.
Gaikwad, the right-handed batter, had a great IPL this season. He has played just a single ODI inning, and his score was 19 runs. What makes him a player to look out for is his capability to find a way to re-route the bowl when the throw is not in his favor. Hardik Pandya will captain the side in T20 matches versus the Indies. He has come a long way since his injury sustained in Asia Cup 2018.
The batting allrounder has the highest score of 92 runs in 55 ODI innings that he has played in his career so far. The right-arm fast-medium pacer can take the innings to the end, even if it means not hitting risky shots. Meaning Pandya is more careful about finishing the match than he was before.
Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are returning as the spin duo for the team. It just remains to be seen if Rohit will take both of them to the field.
West Indies are looking for a reliable bowler. They do have a couple of reliable batters, though. One is their skipper himself, having scored 4829 runs in 110 innings at the strike rate of 76.76. Another is Brandon King, with a comparatively higher strike rate of 85.22.
The journey to three ODIs between India and West Indies begins on July 27, 2023, at 7:00 pm IST at Kensington Oval Barbados.
