India had registered a four-wicket win over the Windies in first of three-match T20I series. With Indian youngsters brimming with confidence, the hosts would be keen to make a comeback following a no-show with the bat, in particular. Despite bowlers bowling their heart out Caribbean team had found things hard against speedster Navdeep Saini, who had snared three wickets in the T20I opener at Lauderhill in Florida on Saturday (August 3).
The exciting paceman Saini has bagged Man of the Match on his debut on a surface which often had proved a featherbed.
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Meanwhile, Virat Kohli is keen to continue their domination against the Windies lot. He further would be assured at his position, with the way the young crop of cricketers has stepped up with the ball in hand.
Besides, Windies won’t be settling down either following a poor show in the US.
With Windies known as the champions of the T20 format, they have had miserably failed with the bat and on the field as well in Florida.
Meanwhile, Kohli, who revealed they had gone through tough times during the World Cup, will be urging his teammates to clean sweep the T20I series.
As the 2020 T20 World Cup is scheduled in Australia, the Men in Blue are leaving no stones unturned while making a clear statement with their all-round performances. On the other side, they as a team has made it clear that they won’t show any complacency against the Windies.
Earlier, in the first T20I, Kohli decided to bowl first. Bowlers proved his decision right by restricting Windies at 95 for nine in 20 overs.
For Windies, only Kieron Pollard had managed to score run-a-ball 49 with Nicholas Pooran scoring 16-ball 20.
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The right-arm paceman Saini was the pick of the bowlers with three for 17 in his four. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had bagged two wickets. R. Jadeja, Krunal Pandya and Washington Sundar had settled for wicket apiece.
In response, India too struggled with the bat. However, Rohit Sharma scored 25-ball 24, whereas Kohli faced 29 balls for his 19. Also, Manish Pandey scored 14-ball 19 with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar seeing India home in 17.2 overs.
For Windies, Sheldon Cottrell, Sunil Narine and Kemo Paul bagged two wickets each.
Youngsters and their Promise:
Kohli handing a chance to youngsters shows that Team India shows a lot of promise in terms of the talented pool of players. The young faces have turned up to produce an outstanding show in the bowling department to rattle Windies under 100.
Also, the experience of Bhuvneshwar Kumar has helped them a great deal on alien conditions.
Head-to-Head:
So far, both teams faced each other on 12 occasions with India certainly having an edge. The visitors won six games, whereas Windies managed five wins. Also, the rain has marred a solitary game.
Well, considering the results, Windies won’t be that easy target despite hosts putting up a dismal show with the bat in the United States.
Pant under the radar:
Also, Rishabh Pant might have failed to prove his mettle. He holds a chance in the second game to leave an impact in MS Dhoni’s absence.
The senior gloveman is out of action for at least two months following his commitment to Indian army.
Pitch Report:
Just 20-odd hours before we’ve had witnessed bowlers making most of the surface, but considering the pitch it will assist the batters in scoring big in the second game.
Considering the sluggish surface during the first game, the slow bowlers might again come to the play. However, the batsman could trust the bounce on the surface with the outfield, not that big.
All in all, it would be a balanced game for both bat and ball.
Weather Forecast:
It’s expected that showers might take place. Also, the precipitation is recorded as 51 per cent at the start of the game.
Meanwhile, the skies will clear as the game progresses.
Windies vs India 2019: 2nd T20I, Lauderhill; Florida – Match Prediction:
By going the results of the first game at the same venue, India would be favourites for the penultimate T20I. India has depth in their batting despite missing out on a couple of senior players.
Also, Carlos Brathwaite’s Windies will be raring to take revenge. Thus, we could expect it as a close finish while taking the ability of players of both competing teams into consideration.
However, the ultimate winner is expected to be India to make it 2-0.