In 2013, India have so far maintained a wonderful 21-8 win-loss record in ODIs, including the maiden Champions Trophy triumph in London last June (they were joint champions with Sri Lanka in 2002).
However, finishing the year on a winning note ahead of the gruelling South Africa tour next month won’t be a cakewalk for India, considering the brutal assault it received at the hands of Darren Sammy on Sunday which helped the visitors restore parity with a close two-wicket win at Visakhapatnam.
The pitch in Green Park, which’s hosting an international match after four years, isn’t really an absolute belter. A total over 260 has been reached only once in this ground when India scored 294/6 to beat Pakistan (248) by 46 runs in November 2007. And given the early morning start amidst cold conditions, the seamers are likely to extract considerable movement in the first hour.
Indian batting line-up sports a solid look. Barring a few individuals, the batting department is in great form in the recent past. The top three, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, along with skipper MS Dhoni, have been the real force behind India’s success. The only worrying factor is the poor form of Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina. While the latter has somewhat made up by picking up crucial wickets in the present series, Yuvraj’s spot in the middle-order does look unsafe with the southpaw scoring just 140 runs with one half-century in the last nine ODIs he played at home.
The good news is Yuvraj still enjoys full backing of skipper MS Dhoni. ‘We want Yuvi to do well. He is someone who can bat well at No 4,’ Dhoni had said after the second ODI. Normally, captains seldom tinker with a winning combination ahead of a crucial match. Yet if Dhoni changes his mind, four-match-old Ambati Rayudu will get to play his first ODI at home.
The pace trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Mohit Sharma leaked runs in Visakhapatnam where the dew did not help their cause as they struggled to grip the ball. The spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, as usual, has been miser with the ball and the two bowlers would like to carry on their good show to help India clinch the series. Dhoni would also hope for an improved showing from the fielders as they dropped as many as four catches in the last match.
West Indies, on the other hand, did just enough to secure the win in the second match. Kieran Powell, who has replaced injured Chris Gayle in the playing eleven, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons and Darren Sammy scored crucial half-centuries to help the Caribbean side in securing their maiden win on the tour.
However, one thing which would be worrying skipper Dwayne Bravo is his batsmen’s inability to convert the starts into big scores and come Wednesday he would be hoping for a substantial contribution from one of his top-order batsmen.
Even though bowling still remains a concern for West Indies, the visiting bowling attack played a key role in keeping the series alive with an improved showing towards the end of the last match to restrict India to 288 as Sunil Narine gave just eight runs in his last five overs. Despite Dhoni’s assault towards the end, chasing 288 looked possible and it only became easier as the dew got heavier.
However, finishing the year on a winning note ahead of the gruelling South Africa tour next month won’t be a cakewalk for India, considering the brutal assault it received at the hands of Darren Sammy on Sunday which helped the visitors restore parity with a close two-wicket win at Visakhapatnam.
The pitch in Green Park, which’s hosting an international match after four years, isn’t really an absolute belter. A total over 260 has been reached only once in this ground when India scored 294/6 to beat Pakistan (248) by 46 runs in November 2007. And given the early morning start amidst cold conditions, the seamers are likely to extract considerable movement in the first hour.
Indian batting line-up sports a solid look. Barring a few individuals, the batting department is in great form in the recent past. The top three, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, along with skipper MS Dhoni, have been the real force behind India’s success. The only worrying factor is the poor form of Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina. While the latter has somewhat made up by picking up crucial wickets in the present series, Yuvraj’s spot in the middle-order does look unsafe with the southpaw scoring just 140 runs with one half-century in the last nine ODIs he played at home.
The good news is Yuvraj still enjoys full backing of skipper MS Dhoni. ‘We want Yuvi to do well. He is someone who can bat well at No 4,’ Dhoni had said after the second ODI. Normally, captains seldom tinker with a winning combination ahead of a crucial match. Yet if Dhoni changes his mind, four-match-old Ambati Rayudu will get to play his first ODI at home.
The pace trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Mohit Sharma leaked runs in Visakhapatnam where the dew did not help their cause as they struggled to grip the ball. The spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, as usual, has been miser with the ball and the two bowlers would like to carry on their good show to help India clinch the series. Dhoni would also hope for an improved showing from the fielders as they dropped as many as four catches in the last match.
West Indies, on the other hand, did just enough to secure the win in the second match. Kieran Powell, who has replaced injured Chris Gayle in the playing eleven, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons and Darren Sammy scored crucial half-centuries to help the Caribbean side in securing their maiden win on the tour.
However, one thing which would be worrying skipper Dwayne Bravo is his batsmen’s inability to convert the starts into big scores and come Wednesday he would be hoping for a substantial contribution from one of his top-order batsmen.
Even though bowling still remains a concern for West Indies, the visiting bowling attack played a key role in keeping the series alive with an improved showing towards the end of the last match to restrict India to 288 as Sunil Narine gave just eight runs in his last five overs. Despite Dhoni’s assault towards the end, chasing 288 looked possible and it only became easier as the dew got heavier.