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India and West Indies will face each other in the first game of the three-match ODI series on Friday, July 22, at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
The visitors will be captained by Shikhar Dhawan in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who led them to victory in the three-match ODI series on English soil. The Men in Blue will also be without the likes of Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul in their ranks.
Having captained India last year during their tour of Sri Lanka, leading the national team won't be alien to Dhawan by any stretch of the imagination. Umran Malik, to the surprise of many, has been left out of the tour after featuring against Ireland and England.
It will be a wonderful opportunity for Arshdeep Singh, who made a brilliant debut in the T20I series but missed out on the ODIs after sustaining an injury. The series is also a chance for the likes of Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad to prove that they belong at the highest level.
Deepak Hooda showed that he could smack the ball a long distance during the Men in Blue's tour of Ireland and England. He will be looking to get a game on the Caribbean tour.
West Indies, on the other hand, won't be high on confidence by any means. After losing 0-3 to Bangladesh, Nicholas Pooran and Co. need to churn out something miraculous to make a comeback against a power-packed Indian team.
Jason Holder has returned to the squad and his inclusion is expected to bolster their lineup to some extent. Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie have been impressive of late and have the potential to trouble the visitors with the ball.
Can West Indies beat India?
The Men in Blue, without a doubt, will start the ODI series as favorites. They have played brilliantly in England and will be looking to carry their form in the Caribbean as well. The hosts need to pull off something extraordinary to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Prediction: India to win the match.
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