India vs West Indies, 1st ODI Top 5 player battles: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli face West Indies pace threat

Riding high on confidence after clean sweeping the T20I series, Team India will look to take the form into the 50-over format when they take on West Indies in the first ODI of the three-match series at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday. India dominated the West Indies in the T20I series where they outclassed the opposition in all the three departments and they were able to clinch the series 3-0 with three dominant victories.

Here’s a look at the top 5 player battles from India vs West Indies 1st ODI -

Rohit Sharma vs Oshane Thomas

Rohit Sharma was the standout performer for India in the ICC World Cup 2019 with four centuries and he will be looking to continue his brilliant run of form in the ODI series against West Indies. The opener will be up against the young pacer Oshane Thomas who has troubled him earlier during the home season but statistically, Rohit holds the key. The right-hander has scored 45 off 27 balls against Thomas with six fours and two sixes.

Also Read: Virat Kohli on verge of breaking multiple ODI records against West Indies

Chris Gayle vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Chris Gayle has not been in prime form off late but it is always dangerous to discount a batsman of his calibre. However, when it comes to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, his record against the India pacer has been way less than impressive. Gayle has scored just 18 runs off 26 balls against Bhuvi and the fast bowler has dismissed him twice.

Virat Kohli vs Sheldon Cottrell

Sheldon Cottrell bowled brilliantly during the recently concluded T20I series and he was able to dismiss Virat Kohli twice in three matches. However, the India skipper is not someone who will back out of a challenge and he will certainly be looking to better his record against the left-arm pacer. Currently, he has faced just 10 balls from Cottrell in ODIs and the India skipper has scored 13 runs with an average of 130.

Shai Hope vs Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami was the most successful bowler for India in the ICC World Cup 2019 and he will be returning to action for the first time since the tournament. Against Shai Hope, Shami enjoys a brilliant record and he will once again be trying to dismiss the in-form batsman as fast as possible. Shami has dismissed him thrice till now in ODIs.

Nicolas Pooran vs Yuzvendra Chahal

Nicolas Pooran was one of the bright spots in the T20I series for West Indies where they were defeated 3-0 in India and the youngster will be looking to continue his run of form in the ODI series. However, against a quality spinner like Chahal, the task will not be easy. Chahal has the knack of taking wickets at crucial points of the match and the wicket of Pooran can turn the match on its head.

First Published: Aug 08, 2019 08:44 IST