Aug 28, Florida (CRICKETNMORE): If Chris Gayle returns, it will present West Indies with an interesting selection choice as it looks to secure the T20I series. Top 5 Fastest T20I Hundreds.
After the rollercoaster one-run thriller that broke numerous statistical records on Saturday, India and West Indies will lock horns once again on Sunday (August 28) to decide the outcome of this short series. India will be keen to square the series after the squandered opportunity in the first Twenty20 International, and West Indies will want to ensure it doesn’t get in a situation similar to the first game after posting a huge total.
For large parts of India's inning, it looked like West Indies wouldn't win in spite of posting 245 and it was Dwayne Bravo’s magic that snatched victory from certain defeat. Looking back, West Indies probably finished 15 runs short, especially given the way the innings started and where the side found itself at the end of 16 overs. The form of two of its key bowlers in Sunil Narine and Andre Russell might pose some worries, with both conceding 103 runs between them in just seven overs.
If Chris Gayle is fit and match-ready, it presents a conundrum of sorts for West Indies. Evin Lewis stepped into Gayle’s big shoes and played a superb knock that probably was as good as any of Gayle’s T20 innings. It will be interesting to see who will be dropped if Gayle comes back into the side.
India might face a similar situation if Shikar Dhawan is fit, with perhaps a swap in the offing with Ajinkya Rahane. Stuart Binny could also make way after his expensive over in the first T20I. As 489 runs in 40 overs suggests, the pitch was a batting-friendly one. Apart from Bravo in the final over and R Ashwin during a brief two-over spell, no bowler could escape the batting onslaught. There is some bounce in the surface, which seamers from both sides will want to exploit as much as possible. Three Sri Lankan cricket team bus attackers killed in Pakistan.
While the threats of the showers and storms were put to rest on Saturday, the Sunday forecast is not that encouraging, and suggests that there could be a 60% chance of thunderstorms around noon local time. If that happens, we could see some interruptions and possibly the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system in play. All in all, from India’s point of view, it needs to think right and execute right as suggested by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain, and the West Indies mantra should be to execute and express themselves as Carlos Brathwaite put it. If those two happen, spectators can expect another spectacular contest between these two sides and the boisterous crowd will really feel happy that every penny was worth spending over the weekend.
Teams (from)
India: MS Dhoni (capt,wk), R Ashwin, Stuart Binny, Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav.
West Indies: Carlos Brathwaite (capt), Samuel Badree, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles (wk), Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons.