Staff Writer – Archi
Sports news. India’s journey for next year’s World Cup cricket will begin in Kochi in the southern part of the country when they play West Indies in the first of five ODIs on Wednesday.
Though conditions in Kochi will not be similar to Australia and New Zealand, the venue of 2015 World Cup, this series will provide an opportunity to players to stake their claim or cement their spots in the side.
Though India are playing a tri-series in Australia in January, but according to ICC regulations the selectors will have to announce the squad for the World Cup a month before that tournament. This means the series against West Indies is the final opportunity for selectors and team management to have a look at players they want to be on the plane to Australia.
India, despite their convincing 3-1 ODI series win in England, are still searching for the right combination, as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni made clear. “It is important to win the series but we need to look at the bigger picture. The most important thing is to start well and look to win it first. We don’t want to go to Australia and say, ‘Okay, we should have done this’. The long-term goal, winning the World Cup is something that is crucial for us,” he said.
This series is crucial for two batsmen — opener Shikhar Dhawan and middle-order batsman Ambati Rayudu. And then there is the bowling, especially at the death, which is a big concern for India.
India will hope their star batsman Virat Kohli will be back in form through this series after being all at sea against the pace and swing of James Anderson in England. Kohli, who scored just 54 runs in the series at an average of 18.00, will be keen to get those numbers right at home. He has already began his homework by spending time with legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai during the break.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Photo courtesy www.sportskeeda.com
On the other hand, West Indies will try to prove their worth in the seies.
At least seven out of 15 West Indian players know the Indian conditions well, having played in the IPL and CLT20 and that would obviously come in handy.
Last November Darren Sammy made way for Dwayne Bravo as captain of the side in the first of their three-match series, but Bravo had a nightmarish time. This time around, he must be planning things differently to counter the Indians at their own backyard.
Bravo would be pinning his hopes on experienced players like Darren Sammy, Darren Bravo and Kieron Pollard to come good with the bat.
However, after losing opener Chris Gayle to injury they suffered another jolt when spinner Sunil Narine flew back home after being reported for suspect action in the Champions League T20. The onus is now on left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, Narine’s replacement, to deliver for his team.
To make matters worse, they were given a hiding by the India ‘A’ outfit in the two warm-up matches.
