The Caribbeans are on a high after the resounding win over India in the first one-dayer at Chepauk on Sunday. Captain Kieron Pollard has reasons to hope for a repeat showing against Virat Kohli’s side in the second ODI in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
West Indies should be wary of Kohli, who can change gears single-handedly. He usually stands out when the chips are down. But he will need support from team-mates to keep the series alive.
India’s fortunes revolve around the form of the top three — openers Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul, and Kohli at No.3.
There were positives amid the embarrassing defeat. Shreyas Iyer (70 off 88) re-asserted his growing stature as a reliable No.4. And finally, wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant came good to put a temporary stop to all the criticism hovering around him following his inconsistent run in the recent past. The southpaw scored 71 off 69 balls.
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The failure of spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav on the spin-friendly Chennai pitch is a concern. They could not even pick one wicket.
The entire Indian bowling department struggled including pacers Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami and Shivam Dube in the face of a calculated assault by the century-makers Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer.
It is imperative for the Indian team to make serious amends against a team which proved to be no push-over so far on this tour.
The pitch is likely to assist the batsmen, so it could be challenging for the bowlers. It will be interesting to see what options the Indian think tank will look for in bowling attack in the must-win game.
In a way, the high-pressure match will also test the maturity level of the young guns in both the teams.
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