Can A Depleted Indian Side Win The ODI and T20 Series Against The West Indies?
The Indian team has just finished a long tour in England but there’s not going to be a lot of rest for them as they are set to fly out to the West Indies to take part in an ODI and T20 series in the Caribbean.
BCCI Rests Multiple Players for WI Tour
The BCCI has decided to step in and rest a number of senior players for the West Indies tour and as a result, India will be fielding a depleted side for both the ODI and T20 series. Some of the key players that the BCCI has decided to rest include captain R Sharma, ex-captain Virat Kohli, spearhead J Bumrah, all-rounder H Pandya and wicket-keeper R Pant.
The choice to rest these key players will weaken the batting, bowling and overall strength of the team and make it a lot more difficult for India to win against the West Indies. The BCCI has decided to replace these key individuals by bringing in some of the young players who have done well during the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Shikhar Dhawan has been selected as the captain for this West Indies series and Ravindra Jadeha will act as his vice-captain. This will be a great opportunity for some of the younger players like SK Yadav, I Kishan and S Iyer to make a lot of runs and cement their place in the side.
ODI Series – Betting Odds
India’s tour to the West Indies starts off with 3 ODI games that will take place in Port of Spain. The first ODI is set to take place on 22 July, followed by the second one on 24 July and the final ODI will take place on 27 July.
Sportsbooks have India as the betting favorites even with a depleted side and have given them odds of 1.8 while the hosts have odds of 2.2. One of the reasons why India is the favorites is because the West Indies have played poor cricket in their last ODI series against Bangladesh at home.
The West Indies ended up losing the three-match ODI series to Bangladesh 0-3 and suffered an embarrassing defeat on home soil. They will be looking to bounce back against India and will need to win the first ODI to gain some momentum.
WI – Path To Victory
One of the reasons why the West Indies failed against Bangladesh was because they struggled against their spinners. If they are going to win the ODI series, they will need to be able to keep the Indian spinners at bay. The West Indies need to come out with better gameplay and have one of their key players such as S Hope or the captain N Pooran play an anchor role and help the side get some decent runs on the board.
The West Indies batters should be better prepared to handle the Indian spinners after playing the T20 and ODI series against Bangladesh.
India – Path To Victory
India will need to sort their batting order and ensure that they play for the ODI format and not the T20 format. S Dhawan will have to lead on the field and with the bat at the top of the order. Dhawan will also have to use his bowling combinations wisely and look to win the first ODI and put the West Indies under even more pressure.
We believe India’s path to victory in the ODI series is in the hands of their batters and it’s time for SK Yadav and I Kishan to shine!
Prediction: Our betting experts believe India will win the ODI series 3-0.
T20 – Series Betting Odds
Once the ODI series is over, India will then play a 5-match T20 series against the West Indies. The first three T20s will take place in the West Indies and the final two games will shift to the United States. The fourth and fifth T20 games will take place at Lauderhill, Florida.
The first T20 is set to take place on July 29, the second will take place on Aug 01 and the third on Aug 02. The fourth T20 will take place on Aug 06 and the final T20 will take place on Aug 07.
The bookmakers currently have both teams with odds of 1.91 but we expect those odds to change as the ODI series plays out and we see which team is in better form.
WI – Path To Victory
West Indies are definitely a lot more adept at T20 cricket than ODI cricket. The shorter form of the game suits their big hitters. Their path to victory will be in team selection, their ability to play the Indian spinners and an aggressive approach.
India – Path To Victory
India’s key to victory will be their opening partnership, the wicket-taking ability of their spinners and the leadership of S Dhawan.
Prediction: We expect India to win this T20 series 4-1
