West Indies vs India, 4th ODI: Preview

As West Indies scan the debris of their humiliating loss against India, the visitors look to give their key players some rest before the Test series begins.

For the West Indies, it is about regaining the pride which lies in tatters after three demoralising losses.
Captain Darren Sammy has struggled to explain just why his players are finding it tough in home conditions against an opposition which is without its top stars.

He has been vocal in his criticism of the apparent lack of application by his players.

Sammy blamed the lack of "killer instinct" as one of the reasons for the team not being able to win.

He admitted that the batsmen haven't been performing upto the mark and he expected a bit more from fast bowler Kemar Roach.

"We have not been getting runs at the top. We just lacked the finishing touch. About our bowling, Kemar is one of our strike bowlers and we needed a bit extra from him. But I can't blame anyone, he has been doing a good job over the past months. If you put the ball in the right areas, you could reap rewards on this wicket", Sammy said.

What is heartening for the West Indies is the inspiring knock by Russell. A hurricane unbeaten 92 by a number nine batsman is just the kind of inspiration the host batsmen needs to strike it big in the remaining two matches and make the final scoreline more respectable.

An unbeatable 3-0 lead in hand, India would now aim for a clean sweep while trying out new players when they take on a demoralised West Indies side in the inconsequential fourth game of their five-match one-day international series, here tomorrow.

Led by Suresh Raina, the second-string Indian team has given a good account of itself dominating the struggling Caribbean side, which has been weakened further by the absence of big-hitting Chris Gayle and reliable performers such as Dwayne Bravo.

In fact, the series has done a world of good to young Indian players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Raina himself.

They have proved themselves as fighters when faced with tense situations, prompting coach Duncan Fletcher to state that the given pool of talent, his wards are set to dominate world cricket for another decade or so.

"It is due to the amount of talent India have. Indian cricket is in a very, very healthy state presently," stated Fletcher after India clinched the series with a three-wicket win yesterday.

Right-handed batsman Manoj Tiwary might get a look in after Raina hinted that reserve players are likely to be fielded for the remaining two matches.

But bowling would certainly be an area of concern for the Indians.

Without the ever-reliable Zaheer Khan, who won't be available even for the Test series due to injury, the pacers led by Munaf Patel have struggled as was evident from the way West Indian number nine Andre Russell took them to the cleaners on Saturday.

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West Indies vs India, 3rd ODI: Preview

India appear overwhelming favourites to clinch the five-match ODI series when they play the West Indies in the third game in Antigua on Saturday.

Having registered back-to-back victories in Port of Spain, the Suresh Raina-led young Indian side seem to have eveything under control.

It has been an overall display so far. Bowlers came to the party in the first ODI while in the second, the batsmen achieved the target without breaking into a sweat. The target was revised due to rain interruption and the visitors needed 183 from 37 overs, which they did with 3.2 overs to spare and seven wickets in hand.

The world champion side had earlier humbled the hosts in the only T20 match.

Virat Kohli is in supreme form and his contribution will be crucial today. He had flunked in the first match but more than made up for it in the second with a classy 81.

Parthiv Patel's run as a wicketkeeper is going through some tough times. He is dropping quite a few sitters and ball collection is below-par. However, India would hope the diminutive keeper continues to deliver with the bat. He made a crucial 56 which set the platform for Team India's successful chase.

West Indies, on the other hand, seem clueless. Apart from the fifties by Lendl Simmons and Ramnaresh Sarwan, there is not much to write home about. But it is now or never. The hosts will have to win today if they are to challenge the Indians in the remainder of the series.

Of course, they have a huge task at hand. For one, there is still no Chris Gayle. The former West Indies captain was overlooked again by selectors on Thursday when the squad was announced.

There are two changes to the Windies squad that was selected for the first two ODIs.

Dwayne Bravo's request to be rested has been granted with Jamaica's Danza Hyatt, who played in the only Twenty20 against India, selected in his place.

Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul has also been rested for the Antigua leg of the five-match series, which comprises the third and the fourth ODIs. Kemar Roach has returned to the squad to replace Rampaul.

Likely XIs of both teams:

West Indies: Kirk Edwards, Lendl Simmons, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Danza Hyatt, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy (captain), Carlton Baugh, Anthony Martin, Devendra Bishoo, Kemar Roach

India: Parthiv Patel, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, S Badrinath, Suresh Raina (captain), Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra.

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West Indies vs India: 2nd ODI: Preview

Having taken a 1-0 lead, India would look to press home the advantage against a nervy West Indies side in the second ODI on Wednesday at Port-of-Spain.

The four-wicket win in the first one-dayer came after a wobbly start and the second-string Indian team would be aiming to plug the loopholes as the series progresses.

Missing key players like Sachin Tendulkar and regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the young team led by Suresh Raina benefited from the West Indians' follies in the opener.

The Caribbeans, on the other hand, would hope to tilt the scale in their favour by picking up on the few positives they gained from the four-wicket loss at the Queen

West Indies vs India, 1st ODI: Preview

After a solid T20 win, India will have to shift gears quickly and be ready for an ODI battle against the West Indies in a five-match series, starting Monday.
India are without the services of Sachin Tendulkar, regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, who have all been rested, in addition to the ill Yuvraj Singh and the injured duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.
However, led by Suresh Raina, the Indians have made a confident start to the tour by easing past the hosts by 16 runs in the lone Twenty20 match Saturday.
Raina, who claims to have learnt a lot about captaincy from Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Dhoni, marshalled the young side well and they hardly showed any nerves while outplaying the Caribbeans, desperately missing a certain Chris Gayle.
The man who set the IPL alight with his lusty hitting is a pariah in West Indies cricket right now due to his outbursts against the Board, reduced to a mere spectator at least for the first two ODIs.
Gayle's absence takes the zing out of West Indies' already brittle batting line-up and the Indians couldn't have asked for more.

West Indies vs India, T20: Preview

They might be without key senior players but even a second-string India would be hard to stop for the struggling West Indies when the two sides clash in a T20 match on Saturday.
Led by Suresh Raina, India are without seniors such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni among others, but they can still turn the tables on the West Indians whom they have never beaten in a Twenty20 match before.
As touring Indians get set to take on the hosts at the Queen's Park Oval, they can take comfort from the disarray in which the hosts presently find themselves.
Rival coach Ottis Gibson is candid enough to lay bare in public domain, the issues which are stopping his young team from winning consistently.
His latest ire is reserved for pitches in the Caribbean which, according to him, are not suited to the strength of the home side.
He hit out on Thursday, stating that pitches across the Caribbean this summer have not worked to his team's advantage at all.
The one at Queen's Park Oval is expected to be low and slow which is at variance with the strength of the West Indian team.
The hosts have two of the most economical and frugal medium-pacers in skipper Darren Sammy and Ravi Rampaul but the Oval pitch appears to have been made more for the visitors' liking.
India has three first-rate spinners in Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin and Amit Mishra to take advantage of the surface while West Indies have only young leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo who could do likewise.
Indians are known to have a weakness against short-pitched deliveries yet they are unlikely to face any such threat on the bland Queen's Park surface or from the composition of the West Indies side.
Though Ravi Rampaul is in prime form, neither Andre Russel nor Krishmar Santokie can be said to have the same effect as the trio of Fidel Edwards, Jerome Taylor and Khemar Roach have on the opponents.
The other issues, which Gibson outlined, are the inability of his batsmen to rotate strike and their fallings against spin, particularly off-spin.
The tourists would be buoyed by the admission for they have two very potent off-spinners in Harbhajan Singh and R Ashwin in the ranks.
Given the state of the Oval pitch, India would be tempted to play both Harbhajan and Ashwin in Saturday's game even though skipper Raina himself and Rohit Sharma can also turn their arms over.
Indians would have a few anxieties about their openers as left-handers Shikhar Dhawan and Parthiv Patel haven't quite set the stadium on fire in recent times.
Their middle order though is strong and Kohli, Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma and Badrinath are all capable performers.
Indian pace bowling too is in the capable hands with Munaf Patel, a model of fitness and efficiency over the last few months.
The hosts have a reasonable batting line-up on paper with Darren Bravo being the pick of the lot yet it hasn't quite translated into enough runs on the board in recent times.
Indeed, Gibson has openly admitted that it is time his batsmen pull their weight and support bowlers who have been doing more than an adequate job.
India have twice faced West Indies in Twenty20 internationals and come a cropper on both occasions.
India first met the West Indies during the 2009 Twenty20 World Championships and lost by seven wickets at Lord's.
West Indies repeated the dose in the second encounter, again during the Twenty20 World Cup.
Teams (from):
West Indies: Darren Sammy (capt), Christopher Barnewell, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Andre Fletcher, Danza Hyatt, Ashley Nurse, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Krishmar Santokie and Lendl Simmons.
India: Suresh Raina (capt), Harbhajan Singh (vice-capt), S Badrinath, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Vinay Kumar, Ishant Sharma, R Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel.