After a brief distraction from the series due to the HudHud phenomenon and all the destruction, both the teams will like to refocus on the game ahead. The venue is the picturesque ground at Dharamshala in the lap of the Himalayas.
At 1317 meters above sea level it is bound to be windy and chilly by Indian standards during this time of the year. This is the second One dayer being hosted here. The last one was in Jan 2013, where England got the better of India by 7 wickets, thanks to an unbeaten Ian Bell hundred.
India would remember that match and would keep in their mind to prepare for this match. They could only put a below par total (less than 230) on board which was easily overhauled by England.
India lost the No 1 Ranking to the Aussies, thanks to the last match being called off in this series. They played like a No 1 ranked team in Delhi prior to that and it was an inspired leadership from Captain Dhoni to help India claw back into the game from a hopeless situation. The teams have added interesting options to the squad. India have added Akshar Patel to the squad and Miller gets added to the Windies side. Both seem unlikely to play at Dharamshala, which should favour the seamers though; Unless Ambati Rayudu is rested and Akshar plays as an allrounder. Rayudu has been decent with the bat, but has not pulled his weight around. To cement his place he needs to get a big innings sooner than later. The Team Management is grooming him for the No 4 position at the moment. But is he up for the task? If Akshar plays, then he might also replace Amit Mishra as the second spinner. Akshar is a better bat than Amit Mishra but it all depends on what future role both are earmarked to play for Team India. If Akshar plays, it would be a spectacular rise for the Gujarat boy, who was an unheard commodity till as late as a couple of IPL seasons back. In his last two IPL stints he has been not only impressive but compelling with his rare confidence and bravado.
India now has a Kuldeep Yadav and Akshar Patel in the squad. If both do not play in the tournament, then why select them? Is India searching for a third spinner in the squad for the tour Down Under? Is that what MSD is mulling?
West Indies have looked surprisingly settled despite the embarassing loss at Delhi. Inspite of the absence of a Gayle (and a Lendl Simmons), the batting unit should look unchanged. What they are missing in Indian conditions is Sunil Narine. He is miserly with the ball and it is always nice to have a wicket taking bowler who is shown respect by the best of batsman in World Cricket today. Besides, you could use him intelligently at the death and he could be the difference between the sides in the end. I hope he is able to clear his bowling action before the World Cup. What Murali was to Srilanka, Narine is to the Windies today. Also, Marlon Samuels should not have batted so low in the order in Delhi. A man who got you a victory in the last match with a hundred, must be allowed to bat at his favourite position. He should be batting at 3 or 4. I sense he was disappointed with the way he got out, or the situation in which he got out. He would have definitely liked to come at 4 in place of Pollard. Not that Pollard did not justify his promotion, but you need to ensure some continuity.
India look likely to tame the Windies again, unless ofcourse if the Windies get to bowl first and pack off the Top 4 cheaply. In these conditions Taylor, Sammy and even Andre Russell might be potent in the first 15 overs. Would love to see how India handle the bowling. This will show how we are going to fare in seaming and swinging conditions later in the year and early next year.
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