India vs West Indies 2019: 3 battles to watch out for in the ODI series

After a thrilling T20 series between two very talented sides, the action now moves to the 50-over format. India will be hoping to continue their strong form and winning ways; the No. 2 ODI side in the world enter this series as favourites.

The last time these two sides met in a bilateral series, India came out as comfortable winners. But the unpredictability and fearlessness of West Indies always make them an interesting and tough side to play against. Kieron Pollard and his men will be hoping to give the blues a run for their money.

An injury to Shikhar Dhawan means that KL Rahul gets another opportunity in ODIs. The 27-year-old is in tremendous touch at the moment and will be ready to make a strong statement.

There's a similar situation in the West Indies ranks too as a knee injury to Evin Lewis means that young batsman Brandon King might get to open with Shai Hope. The Kingston Cricket Club graduate will be hoping to make the best of this situation.

A decision on Lewis' inclusion is yet to be taken though.

As the two teams prepare to battle it out, we take a look at a few key match-ups which could decide the outcome of this three-match series.

#1 Rohit Sharma vs Sheldon Cottrell

Rohit's form over the past year has been astonishing, and once again the Men in Blue will be banking on him to give them the blistering start he so often does.

While his amazing pull shots and cut shots make him look almost too good to be true, the 'Hitman' tends to struggle with the angle created by the left-armers. That is something a certain Sheldon Cottrell will be looking to expose.

All cricket fans love the dedication and devotion with which Cottrell plays the game. He has been fantastic with his performances over the year and has surprised everyone with his pace and accuracy.

A smart bowler with tremendous fitness levels, adding to the fact that he is a left-arm bowler who swings the ball both ways, Cottrell would be a real weapon against Rohit.

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The two of them will surely face each other in all the three ODIs, and both will be looking to give their side a strong start. Will the West Indian pacer have it his way, or will the Indian vice-captain be able to survive the early onslaught? We will know that soon.

#2 West Indies' middle order vs 'KulCha'

Given the spin-friendliness of MA Chidambaram Stadium and Barabati Stadium, it will not be surprising to see Virat Kohli go with the famous duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal in this series.

The 'KulCha' partnership has worked very well for India over the last couple of years. Both leg-spinners have staggering numbers when they play together; they often leave batsmen bamboozled with their tricks, and are a real asset in the middle overs.

It is no secret that the West Indies have solid firepower in the middle order. With the likes of Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder and captain Kieron Pollard in their ranks, it would be important for the hosts to stop the flow of runs in the middle overs.

Hetmyer scored 259 runs in 5 games including one century the last time West Indies toured India. The left-handed batsman looked in good touch in the T20I series as well, with 120 runs from three innings including a half-century.

It will be interesting to see how Hetmyer, captain Pollard and the incredibly talented Pooran go about their game against the clever Indian spinners. These middle overs could very well decide the result of the series.

Also read: Pollard's thoughts before the ODI series

#3 Shai Hope vs Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami has been on a roller-coaster ride lately. It seemed everything was falling apart when his wife heaped damning allegations about his personal life. But within eight months of that, all seems good for India's spearhead; he is back to his habit of troubling batsmen and taking wickets.

Shami's raw pace and talent were known to everyone, but it is still surprising how the 29-year old has suddenly shifted gears in the recent past. He has been phenomenal in his latest matches; only Pat Cummins has claimed more wickets in international cricket this year.

Shami will be up against a very dependable opener in Shai Hope.

Hope scored 250 runs (including one century and half-century) from five games on the last tour, and is one of the most reliable batsmen in the West Indies lineup. The 26-year old averages 60.54 in his last 41 innings, which includes six centuries and 10 half-centuries. The Windies keeper is also the fourth-highest run-scorer in ODIs in 2019.

Kieron Pollard will be hoping for Hope to step up and set a solid platform for the explosive middle-order, while the Indian captain will be relying on Shami to wreak havoc with the new cherry. The player who wins this encounter at the start of the innings would automatically boost his team’s odds of getting a positive result at the end.

Other battles to watch out for:

Rishabh Pant vs Hayden Walsh Jr

Roston Chase vs Deepak Chahar