On the eve of the first ODI against India in Guwahati, West Indies captain Jason Holder had stated that his side needed to post scores in between 300-320 to have a good chance of finding success.
On match day, his men rose to the challenge by putting up a total of 322. Despite achieving the goal, West Indies came up way short. Smashing tons from captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma propelled India to victory with less than 7.5 overs to spare.
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The ease with which India reached home must worry Holder. What is a match-winning target, if 322 has proved to be woefully inadequate? For a start, the visitor has understood that there is always room for more runs in the locker.
“It was a tough game. You put runs on the board but you are never quite sure if it is enough,” Holder said here on Tuesday, adding, “Having said that, if we had taken a few more wickets or broken the Rohit-Virat partnership, it could have been a different game.”
From a batting point of view, the West Indians cannot afford to take the foot off the gas. In this respect, they need only to look at the opposite camp for lessons in innings-building.
While Kohli batted for nearly 30 overs, opener Rohit remained unbeaten. “Our batsmen need to be more clinical. If we get in, we have to go the distance,” Holder pointed out.
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While Rohit and Kohli shone through in the first ODI, India possesses another match-winner in Shikhar Dhawan. On his day, Dhawan – he was prised out by pacer Oshane Thomas for 4 on Sunday – can be as equally destructive.
Ambati Rayudu, who scored an unbeaten 22 in the first outing, will look to consolidate his No.4 position with a few more steady knocks. The others to follow - Rishabh Pant, M.S. Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja – can either attack or drop anchor.
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West Indies would like to take a few early wickets and get into the middle-order, for if the Indian top-order gets going, it could result in another one-sided contest. “In ODI cricket, especially in these types of batting-friendly conditions, you need to utilise the new ball. Taking wickets in the first Powerplay is the target, as this stems the flow of runs,” Holder said.
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On the bowling front, except for Yuzvendra Chahal, neither camp produced an extraordinary performance. The ADA-VDCA Stadium pitch, much like the one in Guwahati, is likely to favour batsmen.
The last international match held at this venue, an ODI between India and Sri Lanka, saw spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Chahal pick up three wickets each. It is the slow bowlers who have a better chance of succeeding here.
It remains to be seen if Kuldeep will be included in the eleven, after missing out in the series opener. The team management, meanwhile, has announced the same 12-member side for the second ODI. This means that Manish Pandey and K.L. Rahul, both part of the 14-member squad, once again failed to make the cut.
The teams:
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, M.S. Dhoni, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Khaleel Ahmed, Umesh Yadav.
West Indies: Jason Holder (captain), Fabian Allen, Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kieran
Powell, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Rovman Powell, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Oshane Thomas.
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