India had as bad a day as they have had in a while in the ODI format on Wednesday. Their bowlers could not restrict the West Indies batsmen from racking up a score of over 300, and then the batsmen, usually the masters of the chase, especially at home, failed to hit the mark, falling like nine pins to hand the away team a comprehensive victory in Kochi.
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The 2nd one-day international in Delhi is scheduled to begin at 2.30 pm IST (10 am BST, 5 am ET) with live coverage in India on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 3 (in Hindi) and Star Sports HD1. The match can also be watched via free live streaming online by viewers in India on Starsports.com.
US viewers can catch the game on Willow TV or Willow TV Online, while Middle East and North Africa viewers can watch the match on OSN or OSN Play. Audience in the UK can catch all the action onSky Sports 2 or by choosing to live stream online on Sky Go or Watch Sky Sports Online.
The India vs West Indies 2nd ODI at the Feroz Shah Kotla should see a better performance from the home team; at least that is what MS Dhoni and his band of we-need-as-much-form-going-into-the-2015-World-Cup-defence-as-we-can will be hoping for.
Dhoni's decision to bowl first after winning the toss was put into question as the West Indies batsmen (read Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin) made merry under the baking sun in Kochi. The bowlers, especially the faster ones, struggled a little to cope with the heat and humidity and while Delhi will be a lot more pleasant in terms of the weather, the opposition will be equally formidable.
The one thing you do not want to give this West Indies side is confidence, and the belief that they can actually dominate India in sub-continental conditions. Because, on paper, they have a pretty good batting lineup, with all the batsmen capable of going slam-bang at will when necessary.
Samuels' form, especially, was a welcome relief for the West Indies. The Caribbean side need a batsmen that the rest of the big hitters can play around, and if Samuels, Ramdin or Darren Bravo continue to provide that solid base from one end, it frees up the likes of Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy to look to hit the ball into orbit every single time.
At the end of the day, though, on Indian pitches, sometimes you just need to be resigned to the fact that the bowlers will go for runs, and it is invariably up to the batsmen to chase down, or set a total that the bowlers can defend.
India failed to find their batting mojo in the first ODI, and the biggest worry will be the form of Virat Kohli – India's talisman when it comes to limited-overs cricket.
When Kohli is on song, India invariably win, and if the right-hander can banish those outside-edge demons ASAP, then the home team should be able to find a way back into the series soon.
However, if Kohli continues to struggle, then it will be up to Shikhar Dhawan, who played a decent innings, but nowhere near good enough to threaten the West Indies score, Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina to provide the inspiration.
Raina is the man in form -- his ridiculously wonderful hundred in the CLT20 2014 final was evidence of that. The left-hander only faced two deliveries in the first one-day international in Kochi, playing on to his CSK teammate Dwayne Bravo, and if Raina can stay at the crease a little longer, then India should be fine.
It also makes a lot more sense, especially on these pitches, to send Raina up the order, and the27-year-old should be playing at number four, with Ambati Rayudu, who just seems to be throwing away chance after chance to firm his place in the team, dropping down to number 5.
If the batting is sorted out, then it should be India's game to lose. However, much will also depend on the bowlers, especially the spinners, who would have liked to have been more effective than they were in the opening match of the series.
The West Indies showed they can leave off-field issues off the field with their performance on Wednesday, and India will now know they are up against a team with a thing or two to prove.
Team news: India: Mohit Sharma has been ruled out of the series with injury, with Ishant Sharma brought in as a replacement. The tall fast bowler, playing at his home ground, will hope to get straight into the playing XI on Saturday, at the expense of Umesh Yadav. Another Yadav, Kuldeep, will hope to make his debut with Amit Mishra not having the greatest of games last time around.
West Indies: The playing XI of WI will depend on the fitness of Lendl Simmons, who is still recovering from a back injury. Skipper Dwayne Bravo acted as a makeshift opener in the first ODI, and he will do so again, if Simmons fails to recover.
"Lendl Simmons is still struggling with his back and we are giving him as much time as possible to recover," said Dwayne Bravo. "He is a key member of our squad and he has a lot of bearing to the balance of the team
"Hopefully he is fit to play. If not, we have to see what else we can try and do to our top order."
Expected lineups: India: Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav.
West Indies: Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Denesh Ramdin, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Ravi Rampaul, Suliemann Benn, Jerome Taylor.
