India vs West Indies is by far the most lifeless series that the Virat Kohli-led team has played over the six months and in the two ODIs played between the teams at the Queen’s Park Oval, India has dominated the opponents both by the bat as well as during the bowling innings.
While the first ODI of the India vs West Indies washed, for the time India played in the first innings, the result was almost certain, if it would have been a full competition. However, in the second ODI where fans were expecting a fight from the West Indies’ players after India smashed 310 runs on the board, the hosts gave every reason to the viewers to shut their television sets. West Indies players showed anything but intend when they reached their 100 runs in the 23rd over and with 200 runs still to chase down in 20 overs, we hoped of any form of aggression from the hosts to get some excitement back to the game. But in the end, India registered one of their biggest ever victories after defeating West Indies by 105 runs and those innings seemed like two completely different matches.
However, to make some amends and give India a tough fight in the five-match ODI series, West Indies will be playing with a different squad in the last three ODIs and fresh talent, in form of Kyle Hope and Sunil Ambris, will be infused in the playing thirteen to achieve that.
Both Kyle Hope and Sunil Ambris will be making their ODI debuts in the India vs West Indies series and the duo came in at the expense of Jonathan Carter and Kesrick Williams.
Kyle Hope has had a great record with West Indies A in the One Day International leg of their tour of Sri Lanka last year, with a century and an 81-runs stand in three matches. Hope was also the second best run getter in the WICB Professional Cricket League Regional 4 Day Tournament in 2016-17.
Ambris on the other hand, is a wicketkeeper-batsman and was the seventh-best run-scorer in PCL 2016/17 with 608 runs at an average of 43.42. This includes a double-century (256-ball 231) against the Leeward Islands, during Windward Islands’ seven-wicket win.
With the inclusion of these two players in the batting lineup, West Indies will be looking to better the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli’s middle order and while the bowling department will remain the same for West Indies, Kyle Hope and Sunil Ambris will surely bring back the aggression that we have been missing in the India vs West Indies series.
The third ODI is scheduled on 30th June at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua. India is leading the series by 1-0.