IND v WI: 5th T20I PREVIEW

Death, taxes and team India clinching an another bilateral series win. In the last 6 years, Ind has lost only 2 bilateral series ( Aus and NZ in 2019). They have been absolutely ruthless in this format and have won a series in every part of the world. Since the WT20 debacle, this was India's 5th bilateral series win after a convincing victory against the WI in the 4th t20i at Lauderhill. They have lost only 4 out of 22 t20is and this was their 14th win against WI in last 16 encounters. However a huge challenge awaits in front of them before they set out to claim the big prize in November, the Asia cup and bilaterals against Aus and SA. Its expected Ind will continue with the likes of Hooda, Samson and Bishnoi and won't tinker with the playing 11. Shreyas Iyer was dropped from the side after his dismal returns since the IPL and glaring weakness against the short pitch deliveries. Harshal Patel has been ruled out of the Asia Cup after sustaining a rib injury and is doubtful for the t20 wc. This is a huge setback for India but also gives the likes of Arshdeep more chances to nurture at the intl level.

All eyes will be again on SuryaKumar Yadav on Sunday. His rise in this format has been phenomenal since 2018. He became the highest scorer of the IPL season by an uncapped player in 2 consecutive years ( 2018 and 2019) and had one of his best seasons in the 2020 leg. In Less than 6 months he was playing for Ind and announced himself with a 50 in his debut innings. Since then he hasn't looked back and risen to no 2 in ICC T20I rankings.

The problem runs much deeper in the WI's camp. Shimron Hetmyer finally made a return to the Windies side after months. They are dearly missing someone like Ewin Lewis at the top and the top order of King, Mayers and Brooks doesn't inspire much confidence though they got few runs against Bangladesh, ongoing series and were decent in the ODI series. The side is filled with medium pace bowling all rounders in Holder, Paul, Shepherd, Smith, Drakes and Powell. They all can hit the ball hard and long but are limited in ability against quality bowling, especially the leg spinners who will look to exploit the glaring weakness of the lower order.

Probable XI

India

Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wk) , Sanju Samson, Dinesh Karthik, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh

West Indies

Kyle Mayers, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Devon Thomas (wk) Dominic Drakes, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy.

Venue

Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill, Florida

Total matches - 13
Matches won batting first - 10
Matches won bowling first - 2

Average 1st Inns scores - 163
Average 2nd Inns scores - 125

Highest total recorded - 245/6 (20 Ov) by WI vs IND
Lowest total recorded - 81/10 (17.3 Ov) by NZ vs SL

Head to Head

Overall: Ind leads by 16 -7
Batting 1st: Ind leads by 8-5
Batting 2nd: Ind leads by 8 -2

In WI: Ind leads by 4 -3
In USA: 1-1
Last 5 T20s: Ind leads by 4-1

Match Ups

Pooran v Bhuvi: 61/12 at 138 sr

Hetmyer v Jadeja: 52/2 at 173 sr

Rohit v Holder: 49/2 at 168 sr
Pant v Holder: 72/0 at 146 sr

King v Bhuvi: 39/2 at 100 sr
Mayers v Bhuvi: 49/1 at 140 sr

Powell v Bishnoi: 24/3 at 85 sr
Karthik v McCoy: 22/2 at 160 sr

Form Update
(last 5 innings)

Key players & Fantasy Picks

Captain and Vice Captain

Rohit Sharma: Though he hasn't been among runs but he his giving quick starts in the PP. In 2022, he is striking at 140 in t20is and has the best SR for an opener in PP.

SuryaKumar Yadav: Last few weeks have been fantastic for the batter since his return from injury. He had to miss out against SL, half the IPL and SA series due to injuries. Only left arm spinners are his weakness and he strikes at just above 100 against them in all t20s. SKY strikes at 170+ in the 23 innings so far.

Obed McCoy: He registered the 3rd best figures by a left arm pacer in t20is in the 2nd game. And the 2nd best figures for a seamer by a player from a top 10 team. He had a 360 deg turn in fortunes after he was taken for 66 runs in the 4 overs.

Budget picks
(Fantasy rating - 8/8.5 points)

Dinesh Karthik: 500+ runs at an average of 40 and strike rate of 160 in IPL + Intl cricket this year. He has set many records batting at no 7 or below

Wild Card:

Shimron Hetmyer: He scored the most runs in death overs in 2021 and 2022 season of the IPL and adapted brilliantly to the new role of finisher. Since 2021, he has scored 351 runs at the end at a SR of 202 with 28 sixes and 44 avg. 2 off games since return wont rule out a possible masterclass at the death given his nos in that phase.

Fantasy XI