India and West Indies will battle each other on the 27th of June, 2019. India will be facing Afghanistan before this game, a match that they are expected to win easily while West Indies have not been in the best of touch overall. Much was expected from the team but they have disappointed by and large while India have retained their Midas touch so far, easily beating South Africa, Australia and Pakistan while their game against New Zealand has been washed out.
India West Indies Head to Head
India and West Indies have faced each other 8 times in World Cups. India holds the edge here, having won 5 times while West Indies has won 3 times.
Team India Advantage
Team India have the key advantage of a well-settled unit both in terms of batting and bowling. The bowling unit is sorted with Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah being in the best of form. The latter should be a major threat and even if the former does not play on account of injury, Shami should be an adequate replacement. India also have two of the World Cup’s best spinners in Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal who have performed up to expectations so far. Their battery of all-rounders, namely Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav give them a solid edge over all the other teams. The first two have bowled excellently in the last game while all three can bat spectacularly. MS Dhoni lends solidity to the team with his batting and keeping while Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are unstoppable on their day and are in good form. KL Rahul has also stepped up to the occasion in the last game and should continue his good form throughout the tournament.
Team West Indies Advantage
Andre Russell in your team is always a major advantage. Russell is always a major threat with both bat and ball and can change the complexion of the game instantly. Chris Gayle is always a dangerous opponent at the top of the order while players like Carlos Braithwaite, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder and Shai Hope herald a lot of promise if they manage to get things right. Evin Lewis is a dashing batsman and so is Nicholas Pooran. The bowling unit is also talented and capable of making a difference with Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, Holder, Oshane Thomas and Ashley Nurse in the ranks. West Indies will always have an advantage if they play well as a team.
Battles to watch out for
Rohit Sharma vs. Kemar Roach- Roach knows that he has to spearhead the West Indies attack against India and will look to castle their best batsman arguably in the World Cup, Rohit Sharma, pretty early. Sharma, on the other hand, will be looking to impose his domination on Kemar Roach with silken shots and dogged determination as always.
Virat Kohli vs. Shannon Gabriel- Gabriel will be looking to unsettle India’s Captain while Kohli will naturally want to play his attacking game filled with strokeful shots.
Hardik Pandya vs. Andre Russell- Both premier all-rounders will not let up on each other. Both will look to bat and bowl with gusto, particularly against each other. This is possibly the most enticing battle to look forward to.
Chris Gayle vs. Jasprit Bumrah- Bumrah knows the value of Gayle’s wicket and will be striving for the same accordingly. The Universe Boss, on the other hand, will aim to hit Bumrah out of the park whenever he can.
Nicholas Pooran vs. Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep Yadav- Nicholas Pooran is known for his attacking strokeplay in the middle overs. He will aim to take on India’s in-form spin duo who will look to limit his run-scoring while deceiving him with their guile. A battle worth watching indeed!