INDIA VS. WEST INDIES: 1st ODI | HOWZAT PREDICTION AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
This is a rivalry that will forever be associated with the 1983 World Cup final, when Kapil Dev’s Indian team – rank outsiders at 66-1 before the tournament began – beat Clive Lloyd’s mighty West Indies, who were going for a hat-trick of titles. That one match changed the face of Indian cricket forever. Fast forward to 2022 and India are modern cricket’s powerhouse. West Indies have still to win another World Cup.
But after a 3-0 drubbing in South Africa, Indian cricket team knows that it’s time for a fresh start. New faces are needed if India are to repeat their 2011 World Cup success on home soil in 2023. But their plans for this series have been thrown into disarray by a Covid outbreak that has ruled out the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Mayank Agarwal has been added to the squad. For the West Indies, Desmond Haynes – in his first assignment as chief selector – has recalled Kemar Roach to the squad. West Indies team remain a dangerous side, with genuinely quick bowlers and big hitters, but consistency has been a problem in 50-overs cricket for more than a decade now.
Match Details
- Match: India vs. West Indies
- Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
- Date & Time: Feb. 6, 2022, at 1:30 PM IST
India vs West Indies Probably Playing XIs
India
Rohit Sharma (C), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Deepak Hooda, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal
West Indies
Shai Hope (WK), Brandon King, Shamarh Brooks, Nicholas Pooran, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard (C), Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Hayden Walsh Jr, Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph
Head-to-head Record
| India Won | West Indies Won | Tied/NR | |
| Overall | 64 | 63 | 6 |
| In India | 29 | 28 | 1 |
| Last 10 Matches | 7 | 2 | 1 |
Weather Report
Ahmedabad will have clear skies and light winds during the game, set to be played in temperatures that won’t exceed 29C.
Pitch Report
This venue hasn’t hosted an ODI since November 2014. Since then, it has undergone a complete renovation. In 12 previous day-night games here, dating back to 2002, 7 were won by the side chasing. Since the square was re-laid though, there have been three T20I totals in excess of 180, suggesting a surface the batters will thoroughly enjoy.
Toss
Given there is likely to be some dew later in the evening, both teams are likely to want to bowl first and chase a target. But these days, with chemicals sprayed on the outfields to minimize the dew factor, it’s a lot harder to predict just how slippery the ball will be later in the evening.
Top Fantasy Picks
India
- Rohit Sharma is back from injury to lead in his first home series as captain and has an ODI record like few others. The only man with 3 double-hundreds in 50-overs international cricket, he also has 5 other scores of 150 or more, and as many as 3 of those have come against the West Indies in India.
- Virat Kohli may have given up the captaincy, but West Indies will still be fearful of Kohli the batter. He has made 9 of his 43 ODI hundreds against them, at an incredible average of 72.09 and a strike rate of 97.34. And after the way the captaincy issue was handled, he has a point to prove too.
West Indies
- Kieron Pollard may be nearly 35, but his international career has enjoyed a new lease of life after he took over the captaincy from Jason Holder. One of his 3 ODI hundreds came in India, though it was over a decade ago, and he may need to tap into his Indian T20 League experience with the ball if the specialists come under pressure.
- Kemar Roach is that rare breed of overseas fast bowler who has adjusted pretty well to slow and batter-friendly Indian pitches. In 14 matches between 2011 and 2018, he took 23 wickets at 28.71, below his career average. Now 33, this could be his chance to pencil himself into West Indies’ 2023 World Cup plans.
HOWZAT DREAM TEAM
- Wicketkeepers: Rishabh Pant, Shai Hope
- Batters: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Kieron Pollard, Shamarh Brooks
- All-rounder: Jason Holder
- Bowlers: Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Akeal Hosein, Kemar Roach
- Captain: Virat Kohli/Jason Holder
- Vice Captain: Rohit Sharma/Kieron Pollard
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