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West Indies take on India in the sixth game of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 at Kia Oval, London on Tuesday. Going into this match, both teams will be confident as they come into the match after impressive wins in their respective group openers in Group B. Both the teams will be eyeing a semi-final berth as they have two points each from their previous wins.
Even though India beat South Africa by 26 runs in the tournament opener, the Champions Trophy 2002 joint-winners have a poor record at the Oval, winning three and losing seven of the 11 ODIs played at this venue, with one game being a no-result. But with batting line-up looking strong, they will be keen to improve their record at the venue.
West Indies, on the other hand, defeated Pakistan by two wickets in a low-scoring thriller in their previous game. The Champions Trophy 2004 winners have an excellent record at the Oval, winning nine and losing only two out of the 11 ODIs played at this venue. In their ranks, they do have a well-balanced, but highly unpredictable, team under the leadership of Dwyane Bravo.
West Indies have very attacking approach of playing cricket. It is a team filled with power players who can win the game single-handedly. However, they have shown the tendency of pressing the self-destruct button and surrendering meekly in crunch situations. When their attacking approach fails to bail them out, they don’t have defensive game to fall back on as was seen the other day; chasing a paltry total against Pakistan, the West Indies made meal of it, eventually winning with only two wickets to spare.
The West Indies bowling attack can take positives from their performances in the first game. The attack looked dangerous and made inroads at regular intervals. The opening combination of Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul can do a lot of damage with the two new balls. Rampaul, in particular, has enjoyed playing against India.
Sunil Narine, the mystery spinner, can hold things together in the middle overs. Interestingly, West Indies played with only three specialist bowlers but may look into bring an extra bowler against India considering their batting might, and also due to the fact that India’s bowling is the weakest in this tournament. So don’t be surprised if there is change in strategy for them. After all, that’s how Ottis Gibson and Dwayne Bravo operate.
On the batting front, with Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Marlon Samuels and Kieron Pollard in their ranks, they have more than enough fire-power to keep the opposition captains on their toes. If one of them comes good and the others play around him, they would be on their way to an imposing total. They also have Ramnaresh Sarwan, who is their most dependable player and can be the anchor for his side.
Head-to-Head:
West Indies have a 57-46 win-loss record against India, with one tie and two no-results in the 106 ODIs played between the countries so far. In the Champions Trophy, West Indies lead 2-1 against India. But the last time these two teams clashed on English soil was 30 years ago, back in the famous 1983 final where India defeated the mighty West Indies who were at the peak of their powers. It was the match that redefined cricket in India.
Player to watch out:
India’s policy so far has been to play out the initial overs, so that the batsmen coming in later can make up for the run rate as there will be wickets in hand. Kemar Roach is a man who can put roadblocks in that strategy. With fiery pace, he did so against Pakistan too, taking 3 for 28 in 1o overs which shredded the Pakistan top order to pieces as they managed a mediocre score of 170 runs. It seems Kemar Roach is finally living up to his potential, and this might just be his tournament.
Playing XI (possible): Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles (wk), Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo (c), Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach
Prediction:
Both teams know each other very well as almost all the players have been playing in the IPL for the last two months. The Windies have a solid core and have the talent to beat anyone they face on their day. And going by their record at the Oval, and the expatriate support they receive, they might just overcome India in a very tight contest.
