The Men in Blue will host Windies in the first of the three ODIs at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad this weekend. 

West Indies are set to visit India for white ball assignments comprising three One-Day internationals and as many T20Is. The series will kick off on February 6 and conclude on February 20, with the ODI leg taking place in Ahmedabad followed by T20s in Kolkata. The two teams will lock horns in the first ODI on Sunday. 

India, who have qualified for the 2023 World Cup, will have an opportunity to build their team towards the mega event. This will be the first time India will be playing under their newly appointed captain Rohit Sharma.

In the last series, KL Rahul led the side against South Africa, losing the series by 3-0. Overall, their record since 2020 has been pretty bad for a top team, winning five matches and losing 10. The head coach Rahul Dravid and the skipper have a lot of work to do.

For West Indies, this series will be crucial towards the ODI Super League. They currently sit at seventh place on the table with 50 points from 12 matches, having won five matches and lost seven. The Kieron Pollard-led side swept Sri Lanka by 3-0 in March 2021 but then went on to lose by 1-2 against Australia in July. Earlier this year, they lost the series by 1-2 against Ireland as well. 

Key players 

Virat Kohli is amongst the greatest batters in the fifty-over format the game has ever seen. The Indian no. 3 has an insane record, having amassed 12285 runs from 257 ODIs at an average of 58.77 while striking at 93. Kohli has 43 hundreds and 64 fifties to his name in this format. There’s a lot of noise around his failure to score a century in the last couple of years but he has scored six fifties in the last eight ODI innings. Kohli remains a key player for India.

Rohit Sharma has been a pillar of the Indian limited overs set-up for almost a decade. His ability to score big hundreds separates him from the rest of the field. Rohit has a sublime record in ODIs as an opener, scoring 7238 runs at an exceptional average of 57.44 and a strike rate of 92. He has registered 27 hundreds and 31 fifties at the top of the order. Sharma is returning after an injury and will be looking to make an impact straightaway. 

Nicholas Pooran has become an important part of the Windies limited overs set-up. The left-hand batter has good numbers in the fifty-over format. He has scored 1060 runs from 31 innings at an average of 42.40 while striking at just over 100. Pooran has registered one hundred and eight fifties in the format. The 26-year-old looked in good touch in the recent T20 series against England and will be a key player for the Windies in India with his spin playing ability.

Akeal Hosein has quickly become the first choice spin option for West Indies in white ball cricket. The left-arm orthodox spinner has a very good control and has done well in his short career so far.

Akeal has taken 20 wickets from 12 matches at an impressive economy of 4.28, with best figures of 3 for 28. He will have to play a key role to play against the Indian top three. Hosein can also contribute with the bat down the order as he did in the recent T20 series, smashing 44* off 16 in one of the games. 

Prediction 

The head to head record between these two teams in the last decade is comfortably in favour of India, with a scoreline of 18 to six. The last time they faced each other, India won the series by 2-1 in 2019. 

India have rested Jasprit Bumrah for this series, while Avesh Khan has received a call-up. Spinners’ ineffectiveness has been a huge concern for the side, and they have brought in Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav to address it.

In the all-rounder’s role, one of Washington Sundar or Deepak Hooda is set to get a nod. In the fast bowling department, India have Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna and Avesh Khan. 

West Indies have dropped six players after a humiliating series defeat against Ireland, with the likes of Roston Chase and Justin Greaves missing out. Nkrumah Bonner, Darren Bravo and Brandon King will strengthen the batting unit alongside Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard and Shai Hope.

Fabian Allen is back after recovering from Covid-19, while Hayden Walsh Jr has been added to the side as an extra spin option. The bowling department will be handled by Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Romario Shepherd and Kemar Roach. 

The Indian side is considerably stronger than the visitors and will start this match as heavy favourites.