Windies vs India 2017: Windies Bat, Both Teams Unchanged
May 24, 2023 at 4:16 PM
Jason Holder won his fifth toss on the trot in the series and decided to bat first once again with an unchanged side. Surprisingly, India too had no changes in the ultimate decider.
There was something surprising revealed by Kohli at the time of toss as he said that even before the start of the fourth ODI, the playing XI was locked for last ODIs which meant that Rishabh Pant was never ever considered for a cap in the series. The youngster might retain his place in the T20 game on Sunday but there again, coming to bat at number five or six will not give him an opportunity to express himself to the fullest.
The fifth ODI could have been a mere formality but Windies stunned India by defeating them by a margin of 11 runs in the previous game, which has now made this contest an exciting one. If India wins, they will carry the trophy whereas they have to share the honours in case the home side is able to again write something beyond the script.
The grassy track for the game is expected to have something for everybody, Jeff Dujon reckoned while analysing the pitch.
Captains talk –
Virat Kohli: Not a bad option to bowl first. We are unchanged as we go in today. We decided in the last game that we would go in with the same team over the last two games and that is why we made that change. Not a bad time to be bowling first would look to restrict them to a low total. It is always nice to reflect what went wrong when we lose games. We are a team that always does that and the boys are keen to go out there and rectify. A hiccup here and there always happens and you have to take it in your stride. Definitely, as a player, you want to contribute in every game but you also have to understand that it isn’t going to happen every time. When you’ve played for a while you realise that. You have to respect the opposition and the conditions. In the end, it is important for me to win matches. Even if I do not do well it is important for someone else to step up and perform.
Jason Holder: We are going to bat first. Looks like a good track and we’d look to put up a good total. We did it well in the last game and hopefully would do it again. We are confident, obviously, our batsmen haven’t been doing that well and it is an opportunity and another day to do well. We are going in with the same team. Yes, the guys are rejuvenated after the last game and are raring to go.
Here is playing XI of both the sides –
India Playing XI: Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni(w), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami
Windies Playing XI: Evin Lewis, Kyle Hope, Shai Hope(w), Roston Chase, Jason Mohammed, Jason Holder(c), Rovman Powell, Ashley Nurse, Devendra Bishoo, Alzarri Joseph, Kesrick Williams