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West Indies vs India First ODI Tips - Visitors' strong opening could be key

By Sridhar Bhamidi

26 Jul 2023

Sridhar Bhamidi 26 Jul 2023

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West Indies vs India First ODI predictions to be played at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on Thursday night, IST
Indian openers have posted the highest opening partnership in 6 of their last 9 ODIs
West Indies have conceded the highest opening partnership of the match in 5 of their last 7 ODIs
Shubman Gill has scored at least 112 in 3 of his last 7 ODIs
Can India start the ODI series with a bang?

Can the Men in Blue continue their ODI domination over the Windies? (Getty Images)

West Indies vs India First ODI

Rain saved the West Indies from getting whitewashed in the Test series against India. The teams now prepare for the three-match ODI series starting with the first ODI at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on Thursday 27th July starting at 7pm IST.

West Indies vs India First ODI
Head to Head
West Indies Form
West Indies Team News
India Form
India Team News

West Indies are a hurt bunch after missing out on the qualification for the upcoming World Cup. They could be looking to build a team for this format while the visitors are looking for finetuning their preparations. While there isn’t much value in backing India to do the job, I am looking at the opening partnership market for some value. Also, keep an eye on Shubman Gill topping the batting charts for India.

Indian openers have posted the highest opening partnership of the match in 6 of their last 9 matches (ODIs)
West Indies have conceded the highest opening partnership of the match in 5 of their last 7 matches (ODIs)
In 6 of the last 9 matches between these sides, India posted the highest opening partnership of the match (ODIs)
Shubman Gill has scored at least 112 in 3 of his last 7 matches for India (ODIs)

Head to Head

There have been 139 ODIs between West Indies and India so far with the Windies winning 63, losing 70 and two ending as ties while the remaining four ended as no results.

West Indies Form

West Indies are coming off a disastrous World Cup qualification tournament. Their failure to qualify for the global tournament means they have nothing much to look forward to, in this format, for this year.

They have lost three, won and tied one game each across their last five matches which overshadowed a run of five straight wins.

Captain Shai Hope and coach Darren Sammy are still learning their ropes in this format and will hope that the absence in the marquee tournament will prove to be a blessing in disguise.

West Indies Team News

Shimron Hetmyer is recalled into the side and so is Oshane Thomas. Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder and Keemo Paul are sidelined for this series.

India Form

India’s last participation in this format was in March when they were beaten at home by a spirited Australian side 2-1 in a three-match series. Prior to those two losses, the men in blue have won eight straight matches.

The visitors are looking for the bigger tournaments ahead with Asia Cup and the World Cup on the horizon. There are still a number of places to be finalised in the squad, and the series in a big chance for some of the players.

The absence of KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah gives the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson a chance to make their mark in this format.

India Team News

SKY is likely to get a chance to cement his spot while Samson may edge out Ishan Kishan for the ‘keeper gloves. Kuldeep Yadav may get the nod ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal while it could be a toss-up between Jaydev Unadkat, Umran Malik, Shardul Thakur and Mukesh Kumar for two spots.

Verdict

India’s opening has been their strength in the recent past with Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma in sparkling form. To go with that, Mohammed Siraj has been exceptional in the opening overs giving them early breakthroughs. I am banking on this and backing India to post the highest opening partnership. Keep an eye on the individual market and Shubman Gill packing a punch for India.