WI vs IND | Windies' Predicted XI for the first ODI in Guyana

WI vs IND | Windies' Predicted XI for the first ODI in Guyana

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Post a disastrous World Cup campaign and a 3-0 whitewash in the T20Is at the hands of India, the Windies are back to square one again, after a mini-run which threatened to promise so much. With Chris Gayle back in the team, they would need to hit the reset button, and start afresh once again.

Openers

Chris Gayle: After earlier declaring that he would retire from ODI cricket post the World Cup, the big man took a dramatic U-turn, announcing that he would take part in the ODIs against India. While the Windies team were being put to the sword by the Men in Blue in the T20Is, Chris Gayle was playing his trade in GT20 Canada, and having posted scores of 45, 122* and 94 in three of his last innings, the ā€œUniverse Bossā€ will enter the contest full of confidence, and would certainly be looking to tear the Indian attack apart.

Evin Lewis: Having scored three ducks in his last five international and with two of them coming in the T20I series against India, Evin Lewis will be coming into the encounter under extreme pressure, and would be desperate to get some runs under his belt. The Indian bowlers - especially Bhuvneshwar Kumar in particular - has had the measure of him, and the southpaw has proven to be clueless against the moving ball, epitomized by the dismissal to Deepak Chahar in the final T20I. With John Campbell waiting on the sidelines, time might just be running out for Lewis to prove his worth.

Middle-order

Shai Hope: Shai Hopeā€™s onslaught against the Indians back in 2018 would still be fresh on his mind, where he scored a match winning 123* to go along with a well-fought 95, taking apart all the Indian bowlers - including Jasprit Bumrah. Having already scored more than 850 runs in ODIs this year, the 25-year-old has earned the right to be called the best batsman of the West Indian team, and without a shadow of doubt, will have to play an integral part, if the Windies are to dent the Indian armour.

Nicholas Pooran: Having built up his reputation as a flashy, flamboyant, and destructive batsman thanks to his stints in T20 Leagues around the world, Nicholas Pooran finally came off age in the 2019 Cricket World Cup, finishing as their highest run-getter with 367 runs. But with scores of 17, 19 and 20 in the three T20s, the southpaw is coming on the back of a disappointing run, and more often than not, has been the architect of his own downfall.Ā 

Shimron Hetmyer: Entering the ODI series with scores of 0, 6 and 1, Shimron Hetmyer has literally found it impossible to buy a run against the Indian bowling attack in the T20Is. However, he will cast his mind back to 2018, where he lit up Guwahati and Visakhapatnam with his knocks of 106 and 94, with the latter one helping his team tie the match. Despite threatening to go berserk, the southpaw has got out at the wrong moments one too many times, and will be hoping to fix that radical flaw.Ā 

All-rounders

Jason Holder: Skipper Jason Holder didnā€™t have the most fruitful of World Cups with either bat or ball, failing to post big scores with the bat, while failing to both pick wickets and finish his quota of overs with the bat. In the absence of the hard-hitting Andre Russell, the Barbadian would need to take up responsibility as the finisher with the bat, while also providing timely breakthroughs with the ball. But he will need to turn around his record against India big time, having picked just 6 wickets in 9 outings against the Men in Blue.Ā 

Carlos Brathwaite: Carlos ā€œRemember the Nameā€ Brathwaite had a series to forget in the T20Is, as the West Indian team led by him were taught a lesson by the Men in Blue. His place was under threat during the World Cup due to his sub-standard performances with both bat and ball, but lit up the world with his 101 against New Zealand, almost pulling off an impossible heist. Sadly enough, it feels like the career of the all-rounder will be defined by one or two match-winning performances.Ā 

Fabian Allen: With an average of 160.00 and a SR of 162 with the ball and an average of 11 with the bat, Fabian Allenā€™s start to his ODI career has been anything but fruitful. Having showcased his all-round abilities in both the CPL and as recently as the match against Sri Lanka in the World Cup, it feels like that the 24-year-old is one big performance away from settling into international cricket.Ā 

Bowlers

Kemar Roach: Kemar Roach made his first appearance against India way back in 2009 as a tearaway quick who had the ability to run through any opposition in the world with his sheer pace. 10 years later, the 31-year-old is almost unrecognizable from his old self, having lost a good 20-25 kms of pace, but at the same time, has become the Windiesā€™ most reliable bowler, thanks to his control and consistency. While he has been their go-to man in red-ball cricket, Roach has faded away in limited overs, and this series will present a golden opportunity for the Barbadian to redeem himself in the shorter format.

Sheldon Cottrell: From not being in the picture of the Windies team three months prior to the World Cup to establishing himself as the teamā€™s go-to bowler, Sheldon Cottrellā€™s rise in international cricket has been nothing short of remarkable. The left-armer was the pick of the Windies bowlers in the quadrennial tournament, and troubled the Indian batsmen with his pace and sharp movement in the T20Is. The Indian top-order have often shown their vulnerability against the ball moving in, and there would be no better bowler to exploit the weakness than Cottrell himself.

Oshane Thomas: After taking the world by storm, the Oshane Thomas train which once bombarded batsmen with his pace has slowly faded away slowly but steadily. The right-armer has blown hot and cold, and more often than not, his inconsistency has been taken advantage of by the batsmen, which has eventually resulted in the Windies getting pummeled. While there is no doubt about the talent and ability the Jamaican possesses, he would need to be a lot more consistent than what heā€™s been to justify his selection in the team.

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