Confident and upbeat, India hardly got time to rejoice their Champions Trophy victory before taking the flight to the Caribbean, and fatigue could be a matter of concern for the players. But West Indies would be looking for vengeance for their loss in a league game of the Champions Trophy in England.
The hosts have started their campaign on a winning note by thrashing Sri Lanka by six wickets, with the big positive of Chris Gayle getting back into form with a brilliant 109, which included seven sixes and nine fours.
Interestingly, the captains of both the teams - MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo - are Chennai Super Kings team-mates while Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli feature for Royal Challengers Bangalore. So they would be well aware of their strengths and weaknesses.
India undoubtedly look the more formidable side, especially the batsmen top of the order - Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik are in sublime touch and would like to carry on the same momentum into the series. The team management won't tinker with the batting order and look to give a longer run to Rohit at the opening slot considering his success during the Champions Trophy.
On the other hand, West Indies can be unpredictable rather vulnerable when playing against tough oppositions. Undoubtedly they have the players in their line-up to pose a threat to India. On their day, Gayle, Johnson Charles, Dwayne Bravo and Marlon Samuels have the ability to score big runs. Moreover, West Indies' bowling attack comprising Kemar Roach, Ravi Rampaul and Sunil Narine can stand up to India's formidable batting.
It is quite unlikely for India to go in with two seamers. So Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma could form the pace trio. Moreover, it will be a litmus test for Bhuvneshwar to prove himself in the Caribbean conditions. However, Umesh and Ishant won't have much of problem if they bowl to their strength and hit the deck. The spin department would be led by R Ashwin and ably supported by the Champions Trophy golden ball-winner Ravindra Jadeja with his slow left-arm spin.
Probable XIs:
India: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Dinesh Karthik, 5 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Umesh Yadav
West Indies: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Kemar Roach
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