West Indies v India - 4th ODI: Match Preview
As was expected after the initial two ODIs between West Indies and India, the Men in Blue won the series on June 11, 2011, by beating the out-of-form Windies in the 3rd and decisive game.
Now the young Inadians are looking for a clean sweep while the Caribbean Kings are going to be playing for pride.
The two remaining games are no more that fill-ins for the hosts.
Ahead of the 4th ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium today, June 13, the Indian coach, Duncan Fletcher, said, “It is due to the amount of talent India have. Indian cricket is in a very, very healthy state presently.”
On the other hand, the dejected Windies skipper, Darren Sammy, admits, “We have not been getting runs at the top. We just lacked the finishing touch.”
There may be multiple reasons of Windies’ slump but analysts and general cricket fans put the absence of Chris Gayle at the top of all.
The Men in Blue are afloat in form and confidence, courtesy their ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 victory.
Unlike the Caribbean side, the Indians have gained great momentum after playing two long tournaments, the World Cup and the IPL.
Last match legacy
In their last encounter, the Caribbean’s bowling department fell short again while their batting side could not go much above 200.
Team Talk
West Indies: The Windies are again going to play without their top batsman, Chris Gayle.
Dwayne Bravo’s inclusion is still a question, as his substitute, Danza Hyatt, could score only 1 run in the last game.
Kemar Roach, who was included in the team in place of Ravi Rampaul, could not take any wicket and disappointed.
The top order lacks consistency while the bowling attack succumbs under pressure.
Ramnaresh Sarwan is delivering well with the bat, however, opener, Lendl Simmons, is still unable to convert his fifties into tons.
As a whole, the team lacks finishing players.
India: Three victories in a row have boosted the confidence of the youngsters, who have proved that the team can perform even without seniors.
The middle-order batsmen, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, have emerged as reliable players who can change the course of the game at any time.
The skipper, Suresh Raina, has decided to make some changes for the 4th ODI in order to give chance to the reserve players.
Ishant Sharma is to replace either Praveen Kumar or Munaf Patel while Harbhajan Singh will rest in favour of Ravichandran Ashwin.
Shikhar Dhawan is to be replaced with Manoj Tiwary.
Amit Mishra, the spinner, has been in good form, grabbing wickets at crucial junctures.
Overall, the team has good coordination, exquisite composition and a well-devised framework.
Watch-out for
Rohit Sharma: The 24-year-old middle-order Indian batsman gave a stellar performance in the 3rd ODI, leading his side to victory with an unbeaten 86.
Raina will be looking towards him for a similar performance in today’s match as well.
Ramnaresh Sarwan: In the absence of Gayle, Sarwan’s importance increases manifold. He scored 50s in the 1st and 2nd ODIs and will be looking to continue in the same fashion.
Squads
India: 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Manoj Tiwary, 4 S Badrinath, 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Suresh Raina (capt), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Munaf Patel/Ishant Sharma.
West Indies: 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Kirk Edwards, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan 5 Darren Bravo / Danza Hyatt, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Andre Russell 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Carlton Baugh (wk), 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Devendra Bishoo.
Last Word
For Windies, it is going to be a matter of pride. Even if they cannot win, they will be looking to give the Men in Blue a tough time.
The Indians on the other hand will be vying for a whitewash to prove their dominance in World Cricket, especially in the absence of seniors.