LUCKNOW: It’s always a gamble to predict winners in the shortest format of cricket. More so, if the game is between world T20 champions West Indies and India. But the hosts, after their win in the opener in Kolkata, will be on a high and look to wrap up the three-match series here at the Ekana Stadium on Tuesday, before the bandwagon moves to Chennai for the final game of what has been a long and testing tour for the visitors.
Tuesday’s contest will be this venue’s inaugural international game.
With India experimenting with alternatives in search of resources before the ODI World Cup next year, there will be an opportunity for youngsters to showcase their talent. Krunal Pandya and Khaleel Ahmed did well in their debut matches in Kolkata, and the side is likely to field a few more new faces in the next two games.
Dhoni’s absence will provide both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik yet another chance to showcase their ability. Pant, so far, has been bold with the bat but needs to tighten up things while wearing the gloves. Karthik, on the other hand, came up with a responsible innings to guide India to victory after initial wobble in the opening game.
The presence of five spinners – Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Nadeem – in the squad points to the fact that the selectors want to test all the probable tweakers before deciding the team for the World Cup.
The sudden dip in form of opener Shikhar Dhawan has been a worry. The Delhi opener hasn’t been able to make an impact. He will have to take a leaf out of his opening partner and skipper Rohit Sharma’s book on how to build an innings. Another concern has been the rustiness of new-ball bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Coming back from an injury, the Meerut lad has so far been a shadow of his earlier self, unable to hit the right areas, and has leaked runs.
The biggest plus of the side has been the way their two premier bowlers Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah have shaped up. Bumrah has helped in containing things upfront and in the ‘death’ overs, while Yadav has asked the batsmen some difficult questions in the middle phase.
The visitors have their share of problems. The biggest has been the lack of consistency. The batting, except for some bright patches from Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope, has looked clueless. Now with Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Carlos Brathwaite back in the side, they will have more choices to attack the Indians.
West Indies’ bowling too has lacked sting. Paceman Keemo Paul has displayed some spark, but has lacked variations to cage in the Indians. Rest of his partners have been nothing more than mediocre.
This being the inaugural international game at the venue, the wicket can hold some surprises. The strip, though, is devoid of grass and seems set for a runathon.
Tuesday’s contest will be this venue’s inaugural international game.
With India experimenting with alternatives in search of resources before the ODI World Cup next year, there will be an opportunity for youngsters to showcase their talent. Krunal Pandya and Khaleel Ahmed did well in their debut matches in Kolkata, and the side is likely to field a few more new faces in the next two games.
Dhoni’s absence will provide both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik yet another chance to showcase their ability. Pant, so far, has been bold with the bat but needs to tighten up things while wearing the gloves. Karthik, on the other hand, came up with a responsible innings to guide India to victory after initial wobble in the opening game.
The presence of five spinners – Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Nadeem – in the squad points to the fact that the selectors want to test all the probable tweakers before deciding the team for the World Cup.
The sudden dip in form of opener Shikhar Dhawan has been a worry. The Delhi opener hasn’t been able to make an impact. He will have to take a leaf out of his opening partner and skipper Rohit Sharma’s book on how to build an innings. Another concern has been the rustiness of new-ball bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Coming back from an injury, the Meerut lad has so far been a shadow of his earlier self, unable to hit the right areas, and has leaked runs.
The biggest plus of the side has been the way their two premier bowlers Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah have shaped up. Bumrah has helped in containing things upfront and in the ‘death’ overs, while Yadav has asked the batsmen some difficult questions in the middle phase.
The visitors have their share of problems. The biggest has been the lack of consistency. The batting, except for some bright patches from Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope, has looked clueless. Now with Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Carlos Brathwaite back in the side, they will have more choices to attack the Indians.
West Indies’ bowling too has lacked sting. Paceman Keemo Paul has displayed some spark, but has lacked variations to cage in the Indians. Rest of his partners have been nothing more than mediocre.
This being the inaugural international game at the venue, the wicket can hold some surprises. The strip, though, is devoid of grass and seems set for a runathon.
Source : timesofindia[dot]indiatimes[dot]com
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