West Indies vs India, WI vs IND, Today Match Prediction 03 August 2023

win vs ind Match Prediction & Analysis

After losing the Test and ODI series, West Indies is now all geared up to play a five-match T20I series against India. The first T20I of the series will be played at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad. The match will be played on 4th August from 8 pm onwards. This will be good practice for both teams keeping World Cup T20 2024 in mind which will be hosted by West Indies and The USA.

West Indies have called back Shimron Hetmyer, Oshane Thomas and Shai Hope in the team. Hetmyer represented the Seattle Orcas in the inaugural Major League Cricket (MLC) tournament in the USA, where he played two matches after an IPL stint with Rajasthan Royals where he amassed a total of 299 runs at an impressive strike rate of 151.77 while maintaining an average of 37.37. On the other hand, Hope’s average is on the lower side at 17.88, which is a contrast to his impressive numbers in One-Day Internationals.

India's T20I squad for the upcoming series against West Indies in August features several new faces, signaling a fresh approach by the team management. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma have been rewarded for their impressive performances and have earned their maiden call-ups to the Indian T20I team. The experienced seniors, including Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, will continue to be absent from the T20I squad. Mukesh Kumar, who was earlier named in the Test and ODI squads, has also been included in the T20I team, reflecting his versatility and potential across formats. Additionally, Sanju Samson makes his return to the squad as the wicketkeeper, adding valuable depth to the batting lineup.

TEAMS PREVIEW

West Indies Preview

The West Indies T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against India has seen the return of Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, and Oshane Thomas. The team management aims to find the "right combinations" in preparation for the 2024 T20 World Cup, which will take place in the Caribbean and the USA. In contrast, some players from the previous T20I squad, which secured a 2-1 victory against South Africa in March, have been omitted from the current selection. Shamarh Brooks, Raymon Reifer, Yannic Cariah, and Sheldon Cottrell will not be part of the squad for the India series.

Brandon King and Kyle Myers will open the innings for West Indies. The duo have collectively scored 863 runs in 18 T20Is since the start of the last year. But their strike rate is below 125. This can create a problem for West Indies. Nicholas Pooran might push himself up the order at number three. Pooran has been the leading run scorer for West Indies since the last year with 582 runs in 22 innings at a strike rate of 130.49. He recently helped MI New York to win the inaugural Major League Cricket trophy with his breathtaking 137 runs in 55 balls with 10 fours and 13 sixes in the finals. He also finished as the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 388 runs. He will be the batter to look out for. Skipper Rovman Powell is having great form (513 runs in 21 innings). He is striking at 149.12 - the best among all. 

Alzarri Joseph will team up with Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd in the bowling unit. Joseph has taken 16 wickets in 10 games including a five-fer in the last T20Is against South Africa. Roston Chase and Akeal Hossein are the only two spin options for West Indies. While Hosein has 18 wickets in the last 19 games, Chase has played just two games picking 6 wickets at an average of 10.33.

Key Players: Nicholas Pooran, Alzarri Joseph, Rovman Powell. 
 

West Indies Predicted Playing XI:

Rovman Powell (capt), Kyle Mayers (vice-capt), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Obed McCoy, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd.

West Indies Actual Playing XI:

Obed McCoy, Shimron Hetmyer, Brandon King, Akeal Hosein, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Johnson Charles

India Preview

Team India will be high on confidence after winning the Test and ODI series. Though they have rested Rohit, Jadeja, and Virat for the series, they have used the same team for the last two ODIs who will play the T20Is. Ishan Kishan will likely open with Shubhman Gill in the absence of Rohit.  Ishan’s strike rate in T20Is is just above 120. But he has scored three half-centuries in the ODI series which can help him change his stats. Gill has played just 6 T20Is so far. But he had scored a century in the last T20Is. IPl 2023’s leading run scorer has a strike rate of 165.57 so far. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Verma have been added to the squad and are likely to get a debut in this series. Jaiswal finished his first test series as the leading run-scorer. The emerging player of the IPL 2023 can be seen opening the innings with Ishan or Gill.

World number one T20I batter, Suryakumar Yadav will play at number 4. He will be the batter to watch out for. Surya has 1536 runs in 43 innings at a strike rate of 176.34 in the last 2 years. This includes three centuries and 11 half-centuries. He has experience playing in West Indies. In the last year, Surya managed to score 111 runs in three games at a strike rate of 168.18. Sanju Samson will likely get a chance after smashing a half-century in the last ODI. Skipper Hardik Pandya will play either at number three or in the middle. Pandya has over 600 runs and 20 wickets in T20Is played since the last year. Axar Patel will team up with Pandya in the middle.

Arshdeep Singh will lead the bowling unit with Umran Malik and Mukesh Kumar. Kumar who got his Test and ODI debut in this tour will be tested once again in the T20 format. It will be interesting to see who will be chosen as a specialist spinner between Yuzvendra Chahal. Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravi Bishnoi. Chahal was left on the bench throughout the ODI series. Looking at the experiments Indian team management is doing, he might get picked over Kuldeep. Avesh Khan has made a comeback to the team.

Key Players: Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Arshdeep Singh.

India Predicted Playing XI:

Ishan Kishan (wk), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Surya Kumar Yadav (VC), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya (C), Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar.

India Actual Playing XI:

YS Chahal, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel, Mukesh Kumar, Tilak Varma

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

It's been pouring at Port of Spain for the last couple of days. On match day, thunderstorms are expected. But The weather will turn cloudy in the latter part. The temperature will range between 26 and 31. The wind will be flowing from the west at 10-12 kmh. Fast bowlers can expect some movement off the seam due to the lush green covering on the pitch. The conditions might favor swing and seam bowlers, especially during the early overs. Overcast weather will give additional help to the seamers.

Venue Details

The 1st T20I between India and West Indies will be played at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad. The match will be played on 4th August from 8 pm onwards. The venue has a capacity of 25000 spectators and has hosted 62 Tests, 76 ODIs & 9 T20Is. It is a home venue for the CPL team Trinbago Knight Riders. No team has gone past 160 runs on this venue. West Indian coach Darren Sammy is the only 5-wicket hauler in T20Is at Quen’s Park Oval.

Toss: To Bat

In 9 T20Is, the results have favored both teams whether they bat first or second. It is 4-4 between the team defending and chasing the target. The team winning the toss should ideally bat first. The average first innings score here is 115. A low-scoring game is expected.