India vs West Indies 2016, 1st T20 at Florida: 5 key player battles

India and the West Indies are all set to battle it out in the land of baseball when they take on each other in Florida in the most anticipated series of the year on Saturday. While the Caribbeans were steamrolled in the recently concluded Test series, the Indian limited overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be wary of the fact that West Indies are the world beaters when it comes to the game’s shortest format and with the inclusion of star players like Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Samuel Badree and Kieron Pollard the West Indies outfit looks a completely different side from the Test series.

India, on the other hand, is playing a more or less same team that competed in the Test series and the only inclusion in the side is their limited overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the new pace sensation Jasprit Bumrah. Virat Kohli who had a terrific run in the 2016 T20 World Cup will try to replicate his recent performances and come out on top against the West Indies bowling line-up.

With just a few hours to go for the historic series to commence, here are key five player battles that might decide the outcome of the series.

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# 1 Rohit Sharma vs Samuel Badree

Badree’s ability to bowl with the new ball may create some trouble for Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma has been a consistent performer for India as far as limited-overs cricket is concerned and has provided India with the ideal start while opening the batting. On his day he can take the game away from the opposition very quickly and the West Indies must come prepared to counter him. His front foot pull is one of his trademark shots and the Windies bowler will be wary of the fact that if they bowl anything in Sharma’s region, the ball will go sailing into the crowd.

The Windies would be heavily relying on Samuel Badree who has been the most consistent bowler for the Caribbeans in the shortest format of the game. A familiar bowler to bowl in the powerplay, Badree will look to unsettle Rohit Sharma with his pace variations and his immaculate wrong ‘un. It will be very interesting to see how Sharma prepares himself to handle Badree and we could have an intense battle between these two players in the two-match series.

#2 Virat Kohli vs Sunil Narine

Kohli vs Narine should be a mouth-watering contest

The greatest modern day batsman vs the greatest T20 spinner. This is bound to be a mouth-watering contest. Kohli has been in the form of his life scoring heaps of runs in each and every format he played. In the last edition of the T20 World Cup, the man from Delhi single-handedly took India to the semi-finals by clinching a nerve-wracking match against Australia.

Sunil Narine, on the other hand, will be mindful of the fact that his modified action hasn’t brought him as much success like his natural action but he is still a force to reckon with. A batsman is bound to face problems while facing a bowler who turns the ball both ways with an identical action and Sunil Narine is a master of this art. He has been a terrific T20 bowler for the past four-five years and will play a key part if West Indies wants to see the back of Virat Kohli early in the two T20 matches.

#3 MS Dhoni vs Dwayne Bravo

The two former Chennai Super Kings giants would be face-to-face for the first time in the United States

The Indian captain hasn’t been in the greatest of forms in the recent past but is still a match winner in his own rights. The most consistent finisher India has ever produced, Dhoni would try to unleash his brutal shots and give the American crowd some moments to cherish for their lifetime.

On the other hand, West Indies captain Carlos Braithwaite would like to use Dwayne Bravo whenever Dhoni is on the rampage and his slower balls could prove to be very effective when Mahi decides to cut loose. One of the best death overs bowler in the recent past, Bravo will be the best bet for Windies if they have to stop the MS Dhoni onslaught.

#4 Chris Gayle vs Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin’s spin vs Gayle’s force should be an exciting contest to watch

As they say, records speak for themselves. The man from Jamaica is undoubtedly at the pinnacle of T20 cricket. With 18 centuries to his name in the shortest format of the game, Gayle would like to dominate the Indian bowlers right from the word go and it will be fascinating to see what tactics Mahendra Singh Dhoni applies to stop Chris Gayle from scoring big.

Dhoni’s biggest weapon to stop the gigantic man from Jamaica will undoubtedly be Ravichandran Ashwin. The sort of wicket-taking form the Tamil Nadu spinner has been in, it won’t be a surprise if Dhoni opts to go with Ashwin in the very first over of the innings. Gayle will look to come prepared against Ashwin and it will be a fascinating battle between the two stalwarts of the game.

#5 Andre Russell vs Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah’s yorkers should be a cause of concern for the West Indies big hitters

Russell hasn’t been a consistent performer for West Indies with the bat, but in the recent past, he has been a valuable batsman for the franchises he’s played for. On his day, he can demolish any bowling lineup in the world and can clear the boundary with utmost ease. A match-winning all-rounder, Russell would be having fond memories of finishing the match against India in the 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final.

On the other hand, the new pace sensation Jasprit Bumrah will be up for the challenge. A bowler who has impressed in each and every match he had played so far, Bumrah will try to bowl his deadly yorkers whenever Russell goes hammers and tongs. He also has a brilliant slower ball up his sleeve and it will be interesting to see how Russell prepares himself to face the new phenomenon.