Following a Test series which went 1-0 India's way, West Indies are set to host the men in blue in a three-match ODI series. The first match of the series will take place at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown Barbados on July 27 and we bring you the WI vs IND 1st ODI prediction here.
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WI vs IND match preview
West Indies
West Indies succumbed to the lowest point in their history after failing to qualify for the ODI World Cup for the first time ever. They lost four of the seven matches in the recent ICC CWC Qualifier. West Indies lost to Zimbabwe and Netherlands in the group stage of the tournament, reducing their chances heavily. They then lost to Scotland and Sri Lanka in the Super Six to get knocked out of the race.
In this WI vs IND prediction for the second Test, let's discuss West Indies' likely playing XI. Nicholas Pooran and Jason Holder are unavailable for this series while the board has called back Shimron Hetmyer. Oshane Thomas also returns and could be their second pacer alongside Alzarri Joseph.
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WI Possible 11: Brandon King, Shamarh Brooks, Shai Hope (c/wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Keacy Carty, Rovman Powell, Kyle Mayers, Kevin Sinclair, Akeal Hosein, Oshane Thomas, Alzarri Joseph
India
The Rohit Sharma-led side will look at this series as a chance to try out some players and find backups for their ODI World Cup campaign later this year. India faced New Zealand in January, where they dominated the proceeding to clean sweep the series by 3-0. In March, they hosted Australia where they lost the series by 2-1.
India won the first ODI by five wickets but were bowled out for just 117 in the second game, which they lost by 10 wickets. In the series decider, the men in blue failed to chase 270, falling short by 21 runs.
Let's talk about India's possible XI for the match in this WI vs IND prediction. India have a couple of spots open in the batting unit, with Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson in the mix. In the bowling unit, Mukesh Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav could get opportunities.
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IND Possible 11: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar
Pitch report and expected weather conditions
Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados has historically produced slow pitches with assistance for bowlers. Spinners find good grip and turn while seamers get some movement due to the abrasive surface. The average first innings score at the venue stands at 229 from 49 games.
Bridgetown has witnessed some rain in the last few days but the weather is expected to be clear enough for the match. The forecast suggests it will be sunny and humid with only around 25% chance of precipitation.
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WI vs IND Dream11 prediction
Our WI vs IND 1st ODI Dream11 predictions for this match:
Here in this WI vs IND, 1st ODI Dream11 prediction, we'll explain why we have selected this side for the first ODI. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Siraj are too good in the format and pick themselves. So we will base our team around them.
Out of three wicket-keepers options, we have picked the West Indies captain/keeper Shai Hope. Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson are vying for the same spot, and bat down the order. Hope, on the other hand, bats in the top order and is a prolific run-scorer in this format with an average of over 50 and 15 centuries.
Apart from three Indian batting stars, we have picked three Indian all-rounders in Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. The latter two offer a similar skill set but given the assistance for spin and their all-round value, you have to pick them both.
Kyle Mayers bowls regularly and is a destructive batter. Kuldeep Yadav should be effective on this pitch and against this batting unit. Alzarri Joseph can be expensive but has the ability to make an impact even on drier pitches.
As for the two captaincy picks, we recommend Virat Kohli as the captain. Kohli is back at his best with eight centuries across formats since August last year. There's no safer option to go with, irrespective of the pitches. Mohammed Siraj will be our vice-captain for this match. He has been magnificent in the ODI format this year, claiming 19 wickets from eight games at 13.21 apiece.
WI vs IND 1st ODI match prediction: India to win
India have dominated the men in maroon across formats in the last decade or so. They have lost just one ODI in the last 15 encounters between the two teams. India have a much stronger batting unit compared to their opponents who will be without their best batter. The visitors also have a pretty versatile bowling attack. Our WI vs IND 1st ODI match prediction is that India will win the first ODI.
WI vs IND toss prediction: India to win the toss and bowl first
Kensington Oval in Bridgetown is a venue which has favoured the chasing team in recent times. There have been 10 ODIs played at the venue since 2019, with the team batting second winning seven of those. Our WI vs IND 1st ODI toss prediction is for India to win the toss and bowl first.
Man of the match prediction: Virat Kohli to win
Our WI vs IND 1st ODI prediction for the man of the match is for Kohli to win. The Indian batter has been in terrific form, scoring a century in the second Test. He has scored 540 runs in the last 10 ODIs at 60 average and 118 strike rate with three centuries.
WI vs IND betting odds
The WI vs IND betting odds for the first ODI have India as heavy favourites. India have the odds of 1.25 to win this fixture whereas West Indies have a steeper target with the odds of 3.75.
