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Team India (Image source: Twitter)
In what happens to be India's 1000th one-day game, they are all set to take on West Indies in the first of the three-match ODI series on Sunday. Besides, after getting whitewashed by South Africa in the ODI series not too long ago, the Men in Blue would want to get back to the groove and win this series. However, facing the West Indies isn't going to be easy.
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Although the Pollard left-side recently lost the ODI series to Ireland, they have a really strong squad this time around. Players like Nicholas Pooran and Brendon King would like to hit some sixes out of the park. However, Shai Hope will be their key as he has unarguably been their best one-day batter for quite a while now. Moreover, he has a staggering record against the Asian side.
On the other hand, India will be without the services of Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer, who were tested positive for COVID-19. Their captain Rohit Sharma confirmed that Ishan Kishan will be opening the innings alongside him. Besides, with KL Rahul not being available for the first one-dayer, the onus will be on the young players.
However, taking Virat Kohli's record against the Men in Maroon into account, he is definitely going to be a major threat for the visitors. In the meanwhile, Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur are expected to be India's bowling all-rounders for this game. Deepak Hooda is also likely to make his international debut as well.
Pitch Report:
The average score at this venue in the last ten 50-over games has been 233. Contrary to the current norm, both the teams would want to win the toss and bat first. The batters can take their time to settle and can then set a big target.
Match Details:
India vs West Indies, 1st ODI
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Date & Time: February 6th at 1:30 PM IST and local time
Live Streaming: Star Sports Network
Predicted Playing XIs:
India:
Rohit Sharma (C), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav/Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
West Indies:
Shai Hope (WK), Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Shamarh Brooks, Kieron Pollard (C), Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Fabian Allen, Alzaari Joseph, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith