India will be hoping to continue the good work when they take on the West Indies in the second of the ongoing five-match ODI series in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, October 24.
The visitors, unlike the Test series, put up a stiff fight in the first ODI by scoring 322 after being sent in to bat. Shimron Hetmyer starred with a century as the Caribbeans were hopeful of putting pressure on the Indian batting unit.
However, with centuries from captain Virat Kohli and vice-captain Rohit Sharma, India made a mockery of the target, gunning it down with 7.5 overs to spare.
India look a well-oiled machine, except for their pace attack, which was taken to the cleaners in the absence of the rested duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah. Mohammed Shami, who made his limited-overs comeback on Sunday, leaked aplenty while Umesh Yadav and Khaleel Ahmed failed to make an impact.
Kuldeep Yadav likely to join as the third spinner
Ravindra Jadeja and Yuzvendra Chahal were left with a lot to do and they responded well by picking up five wickets between them. India might consider playing a third spinner in Kuldeep Yadav for the Visakhapatnam ODI, considering the way the two spinners operated in the first ODI.
With India announcing an unchanged 12-member squad for the second ODI, there is not going to be any change in the batting order. While the top-order looks solid with Rohit and Kohli firing on all cylinders, Ambati Rayudu will get another opportunity at No. 4 while KL Rahul and Manish Pandey will continue to sit out.
On the other hand, West Indies will certainly be happy with the way their batsmen stepped up and put pressure on the Men in Blue. Seasoned campaigner Marlon Samuels, who had played his 200th ODI on Sunday, will be hoping to make up for the failure in Visakhapatnam.
However, the inexperience in the West Indies' bowling line-up was exposed by the two top-ranked ODI batsmen. However, it remains to be seen if the visitors will chop and change the young unit after just one failure.
With Visakhapatnam track expected to offer more assistance to the spinners, the visitors will be well served if they use their part-timers, including Marlon Samuels, more.
Pitch and conditions
The last two ODIs played in Visakhapatnam have seen Indian spinners dominate proceedings. Notably, New Zealand were bowled out for 79 in 2016 after leg-spinner Amit Mishra picked up a five-for. It is safe to expect good assistance for the spinners on Wednesday
There is a possibility of a light shower late in the evening but it shouldn't drastically influence the course of the match.
India vs West Indies: 2nd ODI — Predicted playing XIs
India: Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (wk), Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umesh Yadav and Khaleel Ahmed.
West Indies: Jason Holder (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Shai Hope (wk), Marlon Samuels, Sunil Ambris, Rovman Powell, Devendra Bishoo and Ashley Nurse.
