India, who ended up as the runners up in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, will start favourites in the first of the five-match ODI series against a lacklusture West Indies at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain on Friday. On paper, the West Indies are currently no match for the men-in-blue, especially after Jason Holder's men were held by Afghanistan to a 1-1 draw in the brief One-day International (ODI) series earlier this month. Compared to the visitors, who can boast of a collective total of 776 matches among the trio of Yuvraj Singh (301), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (291) and Virat Kohli (184), the West Indies have a cumulative ODI experience of 213 matches between 13 players, skipper Holder being the most-capped player among them with 58 matches to his name.
For India, this series is also an ideal platform to test the team's bench strength. With Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah from the Champions Trophy squad absent on the tour, Kohli will be tempted to play Ajinkya Rahane at the top besides giving Mohammed Shami a chance in place of Bumrah. Shami has not played any official ODI since the 2015 World Cup semi-final, after which he had multiple surgeries and only played a few Test matches.
In the batting order, Kohli may induct the hard-hitting Rishabh Pant, the new addition to the squad, while Dinesh Karthik may get a few games if Yuvraj or Kedar Jadhav are rested. Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav is likely to get his chance in place of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin or left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja -- both of whom were unimpressive during the ICC Champions Trophy.
On the other hand, the hosts will bank on their pace battery led by Holder and comprising Alzarri Joseph, Shannon Gabriel, Rovman Powell, and spinners Ashley Nurse and Roston Chase. The No.9 ranked side will also expect their top order batsmen containing the likes of Evin Lewis, Kieran Powell and Shai Hope to fire, if they are to pose any threat to the No.3-ranked visitors.
Playing XIs for India and West Indies, 1st ODI:
INDIA: Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli (c), Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav
WEST INDIES: Evin Lewis, Kieran Powell, Shai Hope (wk), Jason Mohammed, Roston Chase, Jonathan Carter, Jason Holder (c), Ashley Nurse, Devendra Bishoo, Alzarri Joseph, Miguel Cummins
When will the India Tour of West Indies 2017, 1st ODI, India vs West Indies cricket match be played?
The India Tour of West Indies 2017 match between India and West Indies will start at 06:30 PM IST, Today.
Where will the 1st ODI of India vs West Indies 2017 match be played?
The 1st ODI of India Tour of West Indies 2017, India vs West Indies cricket match will be played at Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain.
How do we watch the India vs West Indies first ODI cricket match and Live Score in India?
The India vs West Indies 2017 first ODI match to be broadcast LIVE online on SonyLIV.com and TV Coverage on Sony Six, Sony Six HD, Ten 1 HD and Ten 3.
What time does the live coverage of the cricket match between India and West Indies start?
The live broadcast of the first ODI match between India and West Indies has started at 06:30 PM IST, Today.
