World Cup 2019: Three West Indian players India should watch out

Team India managed to survive the Afghanistan scare on Saturday at The Rose Bowl, Southampton. The Afghans really pushed the quality Indian team to its limit. But India on the back of brilliant bowling effort are still undefeated in the World Cup 2019.

India will now face the West Indies on Thursday at Old Trafford, Manchester. The Caribbean team has managed to win just one match out of the six matches that they have played so far. It’s a do or die match for the West Indies as their chances for qualifying to the semis are diminishing.

India, on the other hand, would like to keep the winning momentum and try to finish the league stages as the top team. There are a lot of questions after the Afghanistan match that needs to be answered at Old Trafford.

In the light of the upcoming encounter, let’s have a look at the three West Indian players India should watch out for.

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#3 Shimron Hetmyer

Shimron Hetmyer

Shimron Hetmyer announced himself to the world cricket in the series against India in the year 2018. In the 5 match series in India, he was at his destructive best. He scored 259 runs at an average of 51.8 and the most amazing thing about his batting was his strike rate of 140.

Hetmeyer is a very talented young player who came to international cricket after leading West Indies to U19 World Cup in 2016. Since his arrival in the international scene, he has made his mark in ODI cricket.

At just 22 years of age, the stylish left-handed batsman has become a key member in the West Indies line up. He plays both spin and fast bowling equally well. He can hit the spinners for huge sixes which makes him a dangerous player, particularly against India. He has successfully batted against the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal before.

#2 Sheldon Cottrell

Sheldon Cottrell

Sheldon Cottrell has been making headlines in this World Cup 2019 not only because of his bowling for his team but also for his celebrations after picking up a wicket. With nine wickets in six matches, Cottrell is the West Indies’ leading wicket-taker in the tournament. Along with that, his contribution in form of stunning catches and run-outs makes him the x-factor on the field for his side.

Cottrell is a left arm fast bowler which makes him even more threatening considering the history of Indian batsmen against left-arm pacers. His inswinging deliveries to the right-handed batsmen are pretty effective. With no Shikhar Dhawan, the Indian batting line-up is full of right-handed batsmen who have been suscpetible to left-arm fast bowlers in the past.

So the top order needs to make sure that they don't give away wickets to Cottrell early in the innings.

#1 Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle is playing in his last ODI tournament and at 39 is one of the oldest players in the World Cup 2019. His tournament has so far been a frustrating one, getting starts but not converting them into big scores. Gayle has so far scored 194 runs at an average of 38.8 in the World Cup. His best innings came against a very good bowling attack of New Zealand where he made 87 off 84 balls.

Gayle has played a lot against India and is familiar with the Indian attack. He has scored over 1000 runs against India in ODI cricket along with four centuries and five half-centuries.

On his day Gayle can take away the game from the opposition in the blink of an eye. If he is able to survive the new ball then he can really hammer the opposition bowling with some big hits. He plays spin bowling particularly well and is the ultimate threat to India’s spin attack.

In perhaps his last ODI match against India, he would want to make a mark by scoring a big hundred. Without any doubt, he would be one of the key players to watch out for in the match.