India face West Indies in the first of a five-match ODI series at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati on Sunday, October 21.
When does the match start and how to watch it live
The first ODI starts at 1:30 pm local time and 9 am BST. Star Sports 1, Star Sports Hindi and Star Sports Tamil will provide live television coverage of the match in India. The live stream will be available on Hotstar and Jio TV.
1st ODI preview
India are heading into the series with a full-strength squad, barring the absence of their white-ball specialists Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
While winning the series is unlikely to be a tough ask, India would want to focus on arriving on a fixed combination, keeping in mind there is only limited time before next year's World Cup.
As Virat Kohli, in the pre-match press conference said, India have a settled top-order with Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli scoring tons of runs overs the years. However, there have been concerns over the middle order, which has often failed under pressure in the recent past.
Kohli has hinted Hyderabad batsman Ambati Rayudu will get a long rope at the No. 4 spot after his impressive performances in the Asia Cup and Indian Premier League 2018.
Pant likely to make ODI debut
In the absence of injured Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav, India are looking at trying out young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who is known for his big-hitting abilities. MS Dhoni's presence in the setup will also be beneficial for the young stumper, who is slowing making his mark at the highest level.
Ravindra Jadeja made an unforeseen comeback into the ODI side during Asia Cup and made good use of his opportunities. The Chennai Super Kings star will be hoping to cement his place in the side during the upcoming series.
On the other hand, West Indies, who last won a series in 2002, face an uphill task and the absence of big names, including Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, and Sunil Narine makes it difficult for the visitors.
Captain Jason Holder has a lot of young talents to choose from but all eyes will be veteran Marlon Samuels, who plays his 200th ODI on Sunday.
Team news and probable playing XIs
India vs West Indies: 1st ODI TV guide
- Australia: Fox Sports
- USA: Hotstar
- Middle East: OSN Cricket
