West Indies vs India 2019: Why Kohli's men are favorites to win the ODI series

It is entirely possible that some cricket fans are still day-dreaming about the World Cup 2019. After all, it was a magnificent tournament.

From Melbourne to Mumbai, Lahore to London, people are still talking about MS Dhoni’s run-out, Ben Stokes’ “six”, Jason Roy’s destructive batting and Jofra Archer’s bouncers.

But it is time to move on. India will make their return to ODI cricket with a three-match series against the West Indies, which commences on 8 August.

Both teams have a host of experienced players as well as a plethora of talent in their ranks. But the big question is: who will win the series? Let us start with a look at the West Indies perspective.

The West Indies' case

The hosts are the underdogs for the series but can definitely produce an upset.

Chris Gayle is in the side after much speculation. Gayle had announced his intention to retire after the World Cup in February, but changed his mind mid-way through the tournament. The opener wants to have one final crack at Team India before ending his illustrious career.

Chris Gayle

Moving down the batting order, there is plenty of talent in the lineup. Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran are all brilliant young players. Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite, at number six and seven respectively, will provide firepower and try to propel their side to an imposing total.

The bowlers might wreak havoc among the Indian batsmen. They have the pace and the guile to trouble the best of the best.

The West Indies is a team full of superstars, but their results have still been poor in recent times (their last ODI series victory was in 2014). The recent World Cup exposed a number of frailties in their squad.

The islanders won only two of their nine matches and finished ninth (out of 10) on the team table. Some of the issues which plagued the Men in Maroon were:

- Poor shot-selection

- Inability to bat through difficult periods

- Impatience from the bowlers (they were prone to going for wickets all the time)

- A lack of ‘killer instinct’ and failure to capitalize on strong positions.

The West Indies need work on these areas ahead of the India series. Holder and Co will have to play out of their skins in order to emerge victorious against a strong Indian team.

India's case

Let us now move on to Team India, who are in a completely different head-space than their opposition. India are ranked second in the world while the West Indies languish in ninth place, which shows the gulf between the two sides.

The Men in Blue have won every single series, bar two, since 2016, while the West Indies have not emerged triumphant in even one.

India have a host of experienced players who can guide the youngsters on their way. Despite being without MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya, the squad is still very potent.

India’s top four, which consists of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, is extremely effective. They would likely be able to decimate the West Indies attack and regularly put up imposing totals.

Rohit Sharma could play a big role in the series

India’s opening bowlers, Bhuvneswhar Kumar and Mohammad Shami, are more than capable of taking early wickets and putting the West Indies under pressure. That could then pave the way for the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja to polish off the crumbs.

All things considered, India should win the series without too much trouble. But as we all know, cricket is an unpredictable game. If the West Indies bring their best and the visitors take matters lightly, we could also have a competitive series.

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