Daijiworld Media Network
Vizag, Nov 24: There was rain predicted but it is bright and sunny and a perfect day for some good cricket. But will we get to see good cricket, with the way West Indians have been playing? Hello and welcome to the second ODI in Vizag. India are currently on a roll and it will take some spectacular cricket from the men from Caribbean to stop this streak. The team might remain the same, unless Mohit Sharma comes in for Unadkat. As for West Indies, they are without the big man Gayle who is ruled out of the series. Coach Gibson has said it is a good opportunity for the others to step-up.
The first ODI was just a mere formality as far as the Indian batsmen were concerned. Used to chasing 350 plus they were set a mere 212 which was too easy for them. They were in a hurry to chase it down and the in-form men Rohit and Kohli made sure that it was done that way. West Indian batsmen were strangled by the spinners as they picked up 8 wickets between them. They must find a way to counter the spin threat otherwise they are on their way for a whitewash.
West Indies have won the toss and have opted to field.
Teams:
India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma
West Indies (Playing XI): Johnson Charles(w), Kieran Powell, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Bravo(c), Darren Sammy, Sunil Narine, Jason Holder, Ravi Rampaul, Veerasammy Permaul
Dhoni: 'We were looking to chase. Since we have done well doing that. It looks like a good wicket and it might be true throughout. We didn't expect to get a game with all the storms and with what happened in Baramati. But it did not rain yesterday so I don't think it will rain today. Mohit Sharma replaces Unadkat.'
Bravo: 'We will bowl first. The pitch has been covered for a while, so we will give our bowlers an opportunity to have a crack first. It is a must win game for us and we will look to play some positive cricket. Gayle is out and he is flying back home tomorrow. Powell comes in and Permaul replaces Deonarine.'
Pitch Report: 'The outfield is dry with a bit of moisture in it from the rain yesterday. There are not a lot of cracks on the pitch. It is a well-rolled wicket. Rain is expected later in the evening and that might make a difference. Experts reckon that it will be better to bat first and put some runs on board as D/L method may affect the team that chases.'
The Preview, by Nikhil Narain
If Charles Dickens were to write a review of the contest between India and West Indies, he would probably give it the title, 'A Tale of two countries'! Come Sunday, the 24th of November and West Indies would have been on tour for 24 days. 24 days without a win and more importantly 24 days of projecting themselves as nothing more than a high-profile club team!
Massive innings defeats in Kolkata and Mumbai in the Test series followed by a six-wicket hammering in the ODI opener in Kochi has raised a plethora of questions and left an umpteen number of doubts on the credibility and motivation of the incumbent West Indian bunch.
Visakhapatnam would provide the visitors one last opportunity to redeem themselves and reclaim some of their lost pride. On the other hand, India are basking in the glory of their young and talented batting line-up which is scaling and setting new heights and creating unparalleled waves with every step they take. Sitting pretty at the top of the ICC ODI rankings, India would look to continue their domination and seal the three-match series in the south-eastern port city of Andhra Pradesh.
India
India's young batting brigade has set the cricketing world on fire with consistently brilliant performances, especially in one-day international cricket. Openers, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have put together 1240 runs in 21 innings at a stunning average of 62 including six century partnerships. Virat Kohli's meteorical rise has been synonymous with India's domination in the format. The man of the match in the first ODI aggregates 1119 runs in 2013 at 55.95 per dismissal coupled with a strike rate of 97.98.
Yuvraj Singh's indifferent form would be the only concern for India in the batting department. He had a decent look in in the first ODI and India would hope that the flamboyant southpaw regains his lost touch. Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja provide a strong middle and lower order.
The spinners led by Jadeja and Raina and well supported by R Ashwin had tormented the West Indian batsmen on a two-paced wicket at Kochi. With Visakhapatnam expected to be an absolute belter, it would be interesting to see if the trio taste the same success. Mohammad Shami has been impressive since his debut 9-wicket haul in Kolkata. Mohit Sharma might come in for Jaydev Unadkat after the latter's lacklustre performance in Kochi.
West Indies
It has been a sorry tale for the team from the Caribbean since the day they stepped ashore on Indian territory. The batting has been the huge disappointment with none of their batsmen showing the will and application to spend some time at the crease. With news coming in that Chris Gayle will sit out of the remaining two matches with a hamstring injury, the gloom just gets greyer for the visitors.
The frustrating thing for West Indies has been the fact that most of their batsmen got a start in Kochi but failed to convert that into any score of substantial value. Johnson Charles looked in good touch during his knock of 42 while Darren Bravo registered a fighting fifty. The tourists need the likes of Marlon Samuels and Lendl Simmons to assume more responsibility in the middle order. Skipper, Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy are dangerous batsmen coming down the order well capable of clearing any field but need a bit some stability from the top-order to showcase their prowess.
Jason Holder and Ravi Rampaul extracted some pace and bounce from the Kochi wicket. They bowled with heart and zest and that should augur well for the West Indies team. Sunil Narine needs to live up to his reputation of being one of the finest and most miserly bowlers in limited overs cricket. Sammy and Bravo could prove to be useful in the middle overs. The latter has a lot of variety with his change of pace and has the knack of breaking partnerships and picking up crucial wickets.
Pitch and Weather Conditions
The 22 yards at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy stadium would make the batsmen's tongue leap out. A run feast can be expected on the flat deck in Visakhapatnam.
Cyclone 'Helen' is creating havoc on the south-eastern Indian coast and there are chances of rain interruptions for the encounter.
Stats Trivia
- Shikhar Dhawan is just four short of completing 1000 ODI runs in 2013. He will be the sixth batsmen overall and the third Indian after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should he achieve this feat.
- Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma aggregate 1576 ODI partnership runs in 29 innings at a remarkable average of 58.37.
- Rohit Sharma with 1143 runs from 23 ODI innings is the leading run-scorer in the format in 2013.
- Ravindra Jadeja with 49 wickets is the leading wicket-taker in ODI cricket in 2013.
- Darren Bravo with 673 runs from 21 innings is the leading run-scorer for West Indies in 2013.
Quotes:
He is our best batsman in this format. He is one of the senior players in the team and one of the players that know Indian conditions quite well. But I will always try to look at the positive and it gives an opportunity for somebody else to make a name for himself - West Indies coach, Ottis Gibson on Chris Gayle's absence.