Can West Indies hit the reset button after the World Cup Qualifiers debacle?
- India are yet to finalise two middle order spots as well as a frontline spinner for the ODI World Cup.
- India haven’t lost an ODI series against West Indies since 2006, winning 12 bilateral series in the period.
Following a 0-1 defeat in the Test series, West Indies will host India in three ODIs. They recently suffered an embarrassment in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers, failing to advance through to the main round for the first time. They will be hoping to put that behind them and hit a reset in this series. West Indies have 4.22 odds to beat India in this series.
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For India, this series is an opportunity to test their players with the world cup approaching fast. They need to settle on a few middle order options with injury concerns surrounding their first-choice players. They have a pretty strong side picked for this series. India have 1.25 odds to win the series.
Head-to-head record, West Indies vs India
The overall head-to-head record in ODI cricket between these two teams is in favour of India by a narrow margin. The two sides have faced each other in 139 ODIs, of which the men in blue have claimed 70 while the men in maroon have won 63. As for the last 10 encounters, India lead the scoreline comfortably by 9-1.
WI vs IND, 1st ODI prediction
West Indies and India will lock horns in the series opener at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on July 27. Here’s a look at toss prediction, win probability and pitch conditions for the match.
Toss prediction
Since 2019, a total of 10 ODIs have been hosted at this venue. The team batting second has won seven of those games. With such chasing bias, teams are likely to field first. We predict West Indies to win the toss and field first in the first ODI.
Win probability
Considering the recent form of these two teams as well as their strengths and weaknesses, India head into the first ODI match as heavy favourites with a win probability of 65%.
Average score
Kensington Oval in Bridgetown has hosted 49 ODI matches, with the average first innings score reading 229. The number in the previous five ODIs goes down further to 208.
Pitch and conditions
As the average score suggests, the pitches in Bridgetown, Barbados generally aren’t great for batting. Spinners get significant assistance here while seamers also remain in the game. The weather is expected to be mostly sunny and humid on Thursday with not much threat of rain.
Players to keep an eye on…
West Indies Predicted playing XI:
Brandon King, Shamarh Brooks, Shai Hope (c/wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Keacy Carty, Rovman Powell, Kyle Mayers, Akeal Hosein, Kevin Sinclair, Oshane Thomas, Alzarri Joseph
India Predicted playing XI:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj
Shubman Gill: The young Indian batter didn’t have a great Test series but will hope to make amends. Gill has scored over 1300 runs in the fifty-over format at an average of 65 and strike rate of 107, including four hundreds.
Shai Hope: The West Indies skipper has a good record in ODI cricket, having scored over 4800 runs at an average of 50. Shai Hope has 15 hundreds and 23 fifties to his credit.
WI vs IND ODI series predictions
India have a considerably better batting unit, capable of doing well even on slower surfaces. They also have a strong bowling unit despite missing a couple of lead pacers. We predict India to win the series.
Our pick: Back India at 1.25 odds to win the Test series!
West Indies vs India Betting tips
Apart from betting on India to win, check out our other recommended bet for the best bowler in the ODI series.
Mohammed Siraj is coming fresh off a five-for in the second Test. He has been incredible in ODI cricket this year, picking 19 wickets in eight games at an exceptional strike rate of 17.1. Back Siraj at 4.33 to be the top wicket-taker of the series!
