Focus on India’s batting combination with Rahul set to return

Kieron Pollard and Co. were blown away in the first One-Day International (ODI) and will have to put in a much better performance, especially in the batting department, if they want to challenge India in the second encounter in Ahmedabad on Wednesday (February 9) and keep the three-match series alive. 

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma couldn’t have asked for a better start to his full-time captaincy tenure but he and the team management will know that they are still far away from getting their combination right in the 50-over format.

KL Rahul is back

Shikhar Dhawan and Ruturaj Gaikwad tested positive for Covid prior to the series, while Rahul missed the first match due to personal reasons. India, as a result, went with the opening combination of Rohit and Ishan Kishan. India were set a below-par target of 177 and the latter two put on 84 runs for the opening wicket to make things even more easier for the middle-order. 

Now that Rahul is back, Kishan is most likely going to be the one to sit out. Ideally, you would want Rahul batting at No. 5, but for that to happen, India will have to leave out Suryakumar Yadav who scored an impressive 36-ball 34* on Sunday (February 6). India also have the option of “resting” Rishabh Pant and giving the wicketkeeping gloves to either Kishan or Rahul.

Then there is Mayank Agarwal and if the team management decides to pair him up with Rohit up the order, Rahul can bat at No. 5. In nine innings at the particular spot, the stylish right-handed batter from Karnataka has smashed 446 runs at an average of 63.71 and a strike rate of 114.4. 

In the middle-order, Rahul has looked very assured and is clearly the right man you would want batting in the middle and death overs. Deepak Hooda made his debut in the first ODI but India can’t afford to drop him because that will leave them with only five bowling options. India have had that problem for quite some time now and it’s not always a “happy headache” to have. So, it will be interesting to see what batting combination India go with in the second ODI. 

Shardul Thakur or Deepak Chahar?

Thakur has been impressive with the bat every now and then but hasn’t been consistent enough in the bowling department to be trusted as one of India’s five frontline bowlers. The right-arm seamer conceded 38 runs in seven overs in the first ODI and was the only Indian bowler who failed to trouble the West Indies batters on a difficult batting surface. 

In his 18 ODIs, Thakur has a bowling average of 41.87 and an economy rate of 6.76, which is not good enough if you are one of the main bowlers. Amongst bowlers who have bowled at least 50 overs since the 2019 World Cup, Thakur (7) has the worst economy rate.  

Spinners Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal shared seven wickets between them in the first encounter but Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna too played their part to perfection. The Men in Blue could try someone like Deepak Chahar who has been impressive in the limited opportunities he has received so far. 

The 29-year-old is superb with the new ball and has also improved a lot as a death bowler, and on top of that, Chahar is more than handy with the bat. He already has two ODI half-centuries in four innings, having slammed 54 off 34 in the third and final ODI in South Africa. Avesh Khan is the only other pacer in the squad but doesn’t have the same batting credentials as Thakur and Chahar.

West Indies batters continue to disappoint

The Men in Maroon have been horrible with the bat for quite some time now. In the first ODI, they were bundled out for just 176 in 43.5 overs, and things could have been even worse if not for a 78-run eighth-wicket stand between Jason Holder and Fabian Allen. 

The surface was surely on the slower side but none of the West Indies batters showed enough grit to survive on that pitch. Skipper Pollard himself was knocked over for a golden duck while playing a wild heave off the very first delivery, while his deputy Nicholas Pooran was trapped in front while going for a big sweep.

"We just got to put a bigger prize on our wicket, too many soft dismissals in the innings today (on Sunday). We got to dig deeper. I don’t think we are too far off to be fair. Our top-order just needs to go a little deeper, put a heavier prize on their wicket, and just get themselves a really good chance," said Holder, who was the only West Indies batter to cross the 50-run mark in the first ODI.

West Indies haven't batted out 50 overs for seven games in a row now and have the worst batting average (26), balls/wicket (32.1) and scoring rate (4.9) amongst the top-10 teams since 2020. The likes of Pooran (29.17), Darren Bravo (27.78), Pollard (25.67) and Brandon King (17.75) have all been mediocre in this period and things might get even worse in the absence of Evin Lewis and Shimron Hetmyer. 

This problem can’t be fixed in the space of two ODIs but West Indies will have to find a way to bat out the entire 50 overs and then take it from there.

Probable XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur/Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna.

West Indies: Brandon King, Shai Hope (wk), Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard (c), Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Alzarri Joseph, Akeal Hosein, Kemar Roach/Hayden Walsh.