West Indies v India - 2nd ODI: Match Preview
India and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 are set to meet at the Queen’s Park Oval for the 2nd ODI of the 5-match series, on Wednesday, June 8, 2011.
So far, India has defeated the hosts in a T20 and an ODI game at the same venue.
Despite the absence of all the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Adam-Richard-Griffith-c41953 names, the Suresh Raina-led Indian side has proved that it can handle itself.
On the other hand, the Windies are repenting over their decision to drop their top batsman, Chris Gayle, for this series.
The West Indians have lost both the games due to their fragile batting department, while http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 has furbished its existing side.
Legacy of the Last Encounters
The last matches between the two sides are going to affect tomorrow’s game.
India won the last 50-over game by 4 wickets after a http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Close-c51347 competition while the Windies will be under severe psychological pressure due to their two initial defeats.
The http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Main-c73911 focus of the hosts will be on their batting strength, however, India may fall prey to overconfidence.
Team talk
India: The absence of the seniors like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/G-Gambhir-c1447 and Zaheer Khan, might be felt in the next encounters.
The team is being led by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/A-Young-c41367 captain, without much experience in leadership.
Without http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Harbhajan-Singh-c61453.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/R-Ashwin-c2228, the hero of Chennai’s victory in the recent IPL final, also adds great strength to India’s spin department.
The middle-order batsman, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/V-Kohli-c2737, is in good form after his successful IPL campaign, ending the season as the second highest scorer.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/YK-Pathan-c2815 has to shoulder more responsibility as an all-rounder, especially in the absence of other seniors.
Overall, the team is in good spirits, confident after their World Cup glory.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/P-Rohit-Sharma-c80557 have formed a good batting rapport, which will aid the team in future fixtures.
West Indies: Dropping http://www.senore.com/Cricket/CH-Gayle-c1221, the top scorer of the recently concluded IPL-4, has been a regretful decision.
The Windies are severely lacking in their batting department and the team is low on confidence after successive defeats in the World Cup and at the hands of the Men in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Green-c60723 recently.
However, Devendra Bishoo, the right-arm spinner and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Darren-Julius-Garvey-Sammy-c52468 have been playing responsibly for their side.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Gordon-Muchall-c1499 needed batting power to the West Indian lineup.
The absence of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KA-Pollard-c1754 is likely to be called upon for national service.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Marlon-Nathaniel-Samuels-c74804 combine to support the middle-order, however, the lower order is still extremely fragile.
Watch-out for:
Harbhajan: The right-arm off-spinner will be shouldering extra responsibility in the absence of a seasoned bowling attack. He will have to focus on getting through the Caribbean top-order to place pressure on them.
Samuels: The middle-order batsman’s outstanding performance in yesterday’s game is sufficient to predict his significance in the second clash. He is practicing hard in the nets today and will be looking to come back stronger.
Pitch Report
The wicket of Queen’s Park Oval is somewhat slow and dry, thanks to the hot conditions of the continent.
As the first two games showed, the spinners of the two sides, especially Singh and Bhisoo, are getting good results from the dry wicket.
Last word
The game is not likely to have massive turn-out as the West Indian cricket fans are highly disappointed by their side’s two back to back defeats.
The Men in Blue would look to extend their streak and possibly emerge with a whitewash.
However, the Caribbean side will be looking to regain respect and prove that they are still worthy adversaries.
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