Team India is ramping up its activity ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. After a series of lacklustre performances on British soil, the team will be touring the West Indies for 5 T20 games and also some ODIs. Many familiar names will be absent again and it’s hard to predict how this tour will play out. Let’s take a closer look.
Virat Kohli is Out (Again)
Virat Kohli is currently in the midst of one of the biggest slumps we have seen in the modern era. Sachin Tendulkar had his bad patches, but King Kohli hasn’t scored an international century since 2019. His recent performances against England gave Indian fans some positive flashbacks, but the run-scoring ability simply isn’t there. Selectors have decided to shelve Kohli for the entire Windies trip.
LCI Recommendation: Virat Kohli is entering a very sensitive part of his legendary career – even BCCI selectors, like the critics, are starting to doubt him.
KL Rahul is Back
The positive news is that KL Rahul has recovered from his nagging injury and will slip into the batting top order to replace the rested Kohli. The batting ace, who may still be lacking match fitness, will be looking to impress and cement his place in the T20 World Cup starting eleven. It won’t be easy against the Windies, who will be boasting seamers like Gudakesh Motie, Romario Shepherd, and Alzarri Joseph.
LCI Recommendation: Top Scorer bets are on. KL Rahul will be a man on a mission, as he looks to re-establish himself as India’s top batsman.
Bumrah, Malik, and Chahal Are Out
Jusprit Bumrah, Umran Malik, and Yuzi Chahal are probably the best bowlers India has. While the latter is a spinning wizard, Bumrah is arguably one of the best pacers in the world. The Indian selectors have decided to give all three a rest, something that can seriously damage the team chemistry and create hierarchy problems going into the World Cup in November. A serious point of concern for Team India.
LCI Recommendation: Average bowling and lack of team chemistry usually lead to high-scoring affairs in the T20 format. Plan and bet accordingly.
West Indies Specializes in T20
The current West Indian squad doesn’t have too many big names like in the 80s and 90s. But they do have Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, and Brandon King who can do some serious damage when things are going well. While we don’t think they have much to trouble India within the ODI series, the T20 games should be closer than many think, especially with the deadly seamers in the Windies lineup.
LCI Recommendation: We simply can’t recommend betting on West Indies in the ODI games, but expect some surprises in the T20 games.
Our Overall Prediction
With Virat Kohli, Jusprit Bumrha, and Yuzi Chahal all rested, Team India will have trouble finding its groove in the West Indies. Also, Rohit Sharma is struggling with his batting and the lineup has second-string bowlers. We expect the 5-game T20 series to be closely contested, which can’t be said for the OIDs, where West Indies simply lacks the quality to compete. Regardless, bet responsibly and enjoy the cricket!