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West Indies put up a comprehensive performance against Sri Lanka in the opening match of the tri-series as they took a much-needed head start in the tournament. They needed that victory to sweep out the bitter memories of the Champions Trophy campaign. Their next challenge will be even bigger as they face India on Sunday. They will back themselves as their key players put up a great show against the Lankan lions. Sunil Narine bowled a match-winning spell ending with superb figures of 4/40 in his 10 overs, whereas Chris Gayle corrected the mistakes he made in England to smash the West Indies home with a stunning knock 109 runs of 100 balls.
India, on the other hand, could not have been in a better state of mind coming into this tournament. It’s scarcely been a week since they were crowned winners of the Champions Trophy, and they come to the Caribbean with an almost unchanged side. The West Indian conditions will not be entirely hostile to them with spin on offer for the likes of R. Jadeja, R. Ashwin and Amit Mishra. The batsmen will have to make a slight adjustment from the pace of the English wickets to the dry, slow surfaces. MS Dhoni might tinker with his team a little in the first match so as to give an opportunity to those players who did not get an opportunity at the Champions Trophy.
Here is a list of five players who will make a difference to the eventual result of the match:
5. Kieron Pollard
The big all-rounder was dismissed before he could add to the scorecard against Sri Lanka, but that was affordable in the position West Indies were in. He will have a greater role to play against India. His explosive ability down the order will be called upon, and it is long due now. He must be eager to erase the harsh memories of that dismissal that affected the eviction from the Champions Trophy. He has played against all of the Indian bowlers in the Indian Premier League with success, and now it’s time he replicates that with the national side.
The swing bowler had a great hand in India’s Champions Trophy victory. He gave India the much-needed early breakthroughs in England. His ability to swing the ball both ways compensates for his mediocre speed, and he has a sharp cricketing brain which always goes a long way. He dismissed Chris Gayle in the group fixture India played against the West Indies, and he will be assigned the same role once again. It will be interesting to see if he can get the same amount of assistance in the Caribbean.
The golden ball winner from the Champions Trophy emerged as India’s primary spinner at the Champions Trophy. He relies on natural variation; and even though Ashwin is definitely much more skilled, Jadeja’s wicket taking record is getting better by the day. He is likely to enjoy the slow and dry conditions of West Indies. MS Dhoni will call upon his services in the middle overs to shackle the West Indian run rate. He chipped in with a really important knock in the final and if he gets the opportunity on Sunday, he will be ready.
2. Chris Gayle
The big bloke has brought in a bit of a change to his instinctive batting style. He takes a bit of time in the initial part of his innings before he gets going with the big shots. It paid off against Sri Lanka and he enjoyed the medium pace of Nuwan Kulasekara. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be a threat to him in the early part of the innings; but if he can get past that, there is not much in the Indian bowling attack that will threaten him. MS Dhoni has talked about his ability to snatch a match away from the opposition with the immediate impact he makes, so plans will certainly be in place to quell the threat that he poses.
1. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli did not get a bulk of runs in the Champions Trophy because he did not have to, but he took the opportunity whenever he had it. His knock in the final was critical to India’s victory. He has been very consistent in the shorter form of the game, averaging almost 50 in the hundred innings he has played. He will be up against the pace of Kemar Roach and the swing of Ravi Rampaul on Sunday. However, his biggest challenge will be negotiating with Sunil Narine. Over the years, he has shown a penchant for taking on the big names of the game and this might be yet another opportunity for him.
