India go into the final One-Day International against West Indies on Thursday in Thiruvananthapuram eyeing their eighth straight bilateral One-Day International series triumph. A victory in the fifth ODI will ensure India maintain their unbeaten run since the reverse against South Africa in 2015.
The travelling Windies team may not be the force they were in world cricket when Trivandrum last hosted an ODI more than three decades ago, but Jason Holder’s men are not going to make it easy for India.
Leading 2-1 in the five-match series, which has also witnessed a tie, the hosts faced unexpected resistance in the past few days, including suffering a shock defeat in Pune.
Virat Kohli’s men bounced back from the loss in the third match to record a massive 224-run win in Mumbai. The home team will hope to carry the momentum into the series decider in the southern Indian city, where the weather is expected to play a part.
Rain, perhaps even a thunderstorm, is expected to hit Thiruvananthapuram during the afternoon, which might mean that the game gets delayed or even curtailed, according to the ICC website.
The last ODI played in Trivandrum was also between these two teams and was won by the visiting side, then a powerful force in world cricket. Holder’s men will look to seek inspiration from their illustrious predecessors and draw the series.
With the series being the first in the run-up to the 50-overs World Cup in England in June next year, the two sides are more or less aiming to zero in on their combinations for the showpiece.
While Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been in superlative form, scoring three and two centuries respectively, Ambati Rayudu, backed by the skipper, has also been among the runs.
India’s lower middle-order, however, has not been at its best of late. MS Dhoni, who is still great behind the stumps, has not been able to get going with the bat. The former India captain has scores of 20, 7, and 23 in the series so far.
Dhoni currently stands on the cusp of a milestone, needing one run to reach the 10,000 mark in India colours (he has scored 124 runs for Asia XI). However, he and India will hope he scores more than a run on Thursday.
The return of Jasprit Bumrah has added value to the Indian team and he proved his worth in the two games he has played, while the young Khaleel Ahmed showed he’s learning with an impressive spell at the Brabourne Stadium.
Kohli will expect the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar to raise his level of play in the series finale after moderate returns. The seamer has been recalled following a rest.
The spinners have done the damage with most of the Caribbean batsmen struggling to cope with Kuldeep Yadav, while Yuzvendra Chahal was benched for the fourth ODI in favour of Ravindra Jadeja.
The visitors, on the other hand, have blown hot and cold in the one-dayers after being routed in the Tests.
Shai Hope, with scores of 32, 123 not out, 95, and 0, has been the best player for the visitors so far. Shimron Hetymer also put up strong performances with the bat in the first three ODIs. He notched up his third ODI hundred in the first game before adding 94 in the next one.
Captain Holder has shown he can handle the Indian spinners pretty well but the other batsmen have not covered themselves with glory. Holder will be hoping that the team improves collectively to snatch a win and deny India a series triumph. The young West Indies squad has shown they have the talent but not the requisite temperament.
The participation of off-spinner Ashley Nurse, who has been a consistent performer, is in doubt after he suffered an injury during the Mumbai game. His absence could affect the hopes of the Windies in the all-important game.
The final ODI, the second international game to be played at the new Greenfield Stadium in the city, is expected to draw a full house but the weather holds the key.
Squads:
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Umesh Yadav, Lokesh Rahul, Manish Pandey.
West Indies: Jason Holder (captain), Fabian Allen, Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (wicketkeeper), Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Rovman Powell, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Oshane Thomas.
With inputs from PTI and ICC
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