Twenty20 / Ed Hawkins / 08 May 2010 /

These sides cannot afford to lose this Super Eight contest in Bridgetown and Ed Hawkins believes they cannot afford to lose the toss. Both are low on confidence after heavy defeats last time out

Team news
West Indies lived up to their flaky reputation against Sri Lanka in a harrowing defeat. As much as suffering from a gulf in confidence as class against SL, they need to get back on track against India at Bridgetown in a crucial Super Eight contest.

We are wary of the Windies because they are yet to be tested against either a proper side or in proper conditions (D-L win over England) but at least their balance looks good. By drafting in Wavell Hinds they bat down to No 10.

Kemar Roach performed admirably against the Lankans with two cheap wickets. New-ball partner Jerome Taylor must turn up against India.

MS Dhoni's side were equally poor against Australia in their last outing as they bowed to an atrocious record in the Caribbean. They have lost Praveen Kumar to injury, although Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra were probably first choice. Dinesh Karthik could replace the underperforming Murali Vijay in the opening berth.

Venue and conditions
The Bridgetown surface would appear to be getting better to bat on with time. Witness Sri Lanka's 195 and South Africa's 170 which followed first-innings totals of 147 and 141. Three of the four have been won by the side batting first, a trend which is completely in line with the tournament. Light rain showers are forecast.

Match odds
This tournament has been a delight for bettors, so long as discipline has been the watchword. Backing the side batting first throughout would have landed you 11 winners from 15 completed games and such a strategy looks increasingly solid as the competition hots up.

Defeat for either team probably puts them out, so expect a very glum face from the captain who loses the toss and has to bowl. With that in mind, West Indies are massive at [2.40] with India shrunk to [1.70].

It is tempting to break our own rule. There is much to like about West Indies with players who can win a game on their own while India's tired minds and bodies could count against them. Patience and discipline, though.

Featured market
With batters at Bridgetown beginning to batter bowlers, could a ton be scored in this game? Mahela Jaywardene was two runs shy for Sri Lanka and we could be tempted by odds of [8.00].

Top batsman
It's clear why these two sides struggle when we look at the batting records. India's top runscorer is Suresh Raina, [4.00] for honours in this game, with 124 runs, but he added only 23 in two games since his 101. The next best is Yuvraj Singh on 61 runs. He is [5.00]. Gautam Gambhir is [4.00].

Only Ramnaresh Sarwan has breached the 50 mark for West Indies. Sarwan is [5.00]. Chris Gayle looks too skinny at [3.00].

Trivia
West Indies dropped six chances against Sri Lanka

Ed Hawkins says: back the side batting first

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