• West Indies and India will play the 1st ODI on Friday.
• Many Indian key layers have been rested for the series.
• WI will look to maintain its winning form.

On Friday, West Indies and India begin a three-match One-Day International series at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, with the visitors favoured to defeat a struggling home side despite the absence of their most renowned players.

The Indians have decided to rest regular skipper Rohit Sharma, crucial batsman Virat Kohli, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah following their 2-1 series victory in England.

This gives an opportunity for bright, eager bench players to capitalise on the absences of the headliners at the expense of a side that was swept 3-0 by Bangladesh in Guyana the week prior.

West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran criticised the condition of the pitches and the early start time for favouring the team bowling first.

The two-time World Cup winners have been deficient in 50 overs-per-side for years.

Given the unpredictable weather leading up to the series opener, the playing surface may be bowler-friendly.

Even with five-star players resting, India has an abundance of bowling options to exploit the conditions and a weak West Indies batting order.

Mohammed Siraj and Yuzvendra Chahal will try to retain pressure on their opponents, who struggled against Bangladesh’s spin-dominated attack.

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Since the conclusion of the Bangladesh series, the one hopeful development for the home team has been the return of Jason Holder.

The all-rounder and former skipper will be looked to for inspiration with bat and ball after being rested in the Netherlands, Pakistan, and Bangladesh tours.

Pooran is under pressure to bring his team out of the doldrums after winning Tests and T20 Internationals 2-0 against Bangladesh.

His best score of 73 at the Guyana National Stadium last Saturday stopped a string of unimpressive contributions in ODIs.

The West Indies will need all hands on deck, especially Shai Hope, to generate challenging totals.

It is anticipated that batsmen Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, and Suryakumar Yadav, along with all-rounder Deepak Hooda, will lead India without so many notable players.

With an upcoming T20 World Cup campaign in Australia and India hosting the next 50-over World Cup in 2023, there are enough incentives to deliver.

After completing the three ODIs at Queen’s Park Oval, the sides will switch formats but remain in Trinidad for the first T20 International at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarauba.

From there, the series will continue to St. Kitts for two games before concluding in the United States with two matches at Lauderhill, Florida.

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