India favourites vs WI even without stars

West Indies and India commence a three-match One-Day International series in Trinidad on Friday with the visitors, even without their most prominent players, favoured to get the better of a struggling home side.

Fresh from a 2-1 series triumph in England, the Indians have opted to rest regular captain Rohit Sharma, key batsman Virat Kohli, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, all-rounder Hardik Pandya and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for this assignment.

The mega stars’ absence has presented an opportunity for eager fringe players to shine at the expense of a team that was swept 3-0 by Bangladesh in Guyana last week.

West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran complained about both the quality of pitches against the Bangladeshis at Providence and the early start time which he felt conspired to favour the team bowling first too heavily for there to be an even contest.

That speculation overlooks the reality that the two-time former World Cup winners have been consistently poor in the 50 overs-per-side format for several years, and given the unsettled weather leading up to the series-opener, it is quite possible that the playing surface will not be dissimilar to the bowler-friendly conditions in Guyana.

“We have players quite capable of batting for long periods but we need to get it together and hold strong,” said West Indies coach Phil Simmons in looking ahead to the challenges his top order is expected to face in the series. 

“Players like (Shai) Hope and (Kyle) Mayers are Test batsmen so they have the temperament to bat right through the innings.”