India will look to maintain an unbeaten streak when they take on the West Indies in their next World Cup 2019 match at Old Trafford in Manchester on Thursday, June 27. The team has won four out of five matches, with one abandoned due to rain, and need two more wins in four matches to seal a semi-final berth. The West Indies, on the other hand, have won just one match and lost four, besides a washed-out meeting with South Africa.
Match Details:
Match: 34, World Cup 2019.
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester.
Time: 10:30 am LOCAL, 03:00 pm IST
The Indian team management knows that the conditions against Afghanistan were quite tricky, and one failed innings for Dhoni won’t matter much, as he is in supreme touch. Hardik Pandya is being used as a floater but the Afghanistan match showed that if he doesn’t get support from the other end, there is too much pressure on him to hit every delivery for a six. Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri till now have not been too keen to use Rishabh Pant’s firepower. Pant can come in only if the team management considers the idea of Vijay Shankar being disposable.
The West Indies is a team loaded with fast bowlers so it could be a bit easier for Dhoni to rotate the strike as he hasn’t been comfortable against the slow bowlers. Afghanistan exposed it in the last game. The West Indies, on the other hand, will look to finish on a high after being knocked out despite a great start against Pakistan. Andre Russel ruled out due to a hamstring injury has been another big blow. The fact that West Indies are almost knocked out of the tournament. Jason Holder-led side has won a solitary match out of the six they have played. In fact, the West Indies had fought till their last breath against New Zealand and they would aim to give a run for the money to India.
Weather Report:
The Manchester weather is expected to become sunny from today afternoon. The temperature is expected to rise to about 23 Degrees by Thursday. After a rainy spell, the weather in Old Trafford Manchester is expected to be slightly hot and humid. However, the risk of the light shower still stands.
Pitch Report:
The Old Trafford pitch is going to provide a balance between the bat and ball. A score of around 300 is going to be a par score in Manchester. It has been a pitch that supports the batsmen always and has less for the bowlers.
Head to Head:
Matches: 126
India won: 59 – West Indies won: 62
Tied: 2
No result: 3
In World Cup: 8
India 5 – W Indies 3
Expected XI:
India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami.
West Indies: Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder(c), Carlos Brathwaite, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas, Kemar Roach, Ashley Nurse.
PlayerzPot XI
