IND vs WI, 1st T20I: Decoding the key player battles
Team India and West Indies gear up for a three-match T20I series, starting Wednesday at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The hosts will be aiming for a clean sweep after thrashing WI in the ODIs series by a 3-0 margin. The series can be used by both sides to try and test players. Ahead of a crunch T20I battle, we decode the player battles.
Nicholas Pooran vs Deepak Chahar
Nicholas Pooran has 1,009 runs in T20Is, will need to show his strength and be the leader for WI. His battle against Deepak Chahar could be interesting. Chahar has the knack of picking early wickets. As per Cricmetric, in T20Is, Pooran has managed to score eight runs from eight balls against Chahar, being dismissed once. Chahar will want to mix things up here.
Virat Kohli vs Odean Smith
Odean Smith showed his mettle in the ODI series with both bat and ball. Smith, who dismissed Virat Kohli once in the series, will be aiming target him. The 33-year-old Kohli has the tendency to push at deliveries around the off stump. He has been dismissed on many occasions while trying to chase deliveries. He was dismissed in a similar fashion against Smith too.
Rohit Sharma vs Jason Holder
Indian captain Rohit Sharma will want to bat long and strong. He will look to anchor India's batting. He will aim to thwart senior WI all-rounder Jason Holder. He has 38 wickets in T20Is and will be a key asset.' Rohit has managed to score 11 runs from eight deliveries bowled by Holder in T20Is. Meanwhile, the latter has dismissed Rohit on one occasion
Akeal Hosein vs Suryakumar
Slow left-arm orthodox bowler Akeal Hosein has started well for WI in limited-overs cricket. He will be aiming to Suryakumar Yadav will be interesting. Surya is an excellent player of spin. In the recently concluded ODI series, Akeal bowled 33 deliveries to Surya, who managed a total of 25 runs. He slammed three fours and wasn't dismissed once.
