West Indies v India First ODI Betting: Hosts hoping to bridge the gap

Ed Hawkins
22 June 2017

Dhawan is in good nick

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Ed Hawkins previews the first contest from Port of Spain on Friday and wonders whether India might start slowly

"West Indies might, I suppose, pick up one win from the five and on that basis it could be argued this is their best chance"

Recommended Bet
Trade West Indies from 4.77/2 to 2.01/1

West Indies v India
Friday, 14:00
TV: live on Sky Sports Mix

West Indies
West Indies failed to beat Afghanistan in their last ODI series, settling for a draw. If anyone had any doubt that their absence from the Champions Trophy was justified, then surely this was it.

Their selection policy continues to baffle. Do we need to remind you that there is no Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Darren Sammy and the rest any more? Probably not.

It has been such a long time that they picked their best players, it may be the case that they are no longer their best having dined almost exclusively on T20 franchise cricket.

Jason Holder is the captain. In the last 12 months Shai Hope is their top runscorer. Their second best is Evin Lewis. Holder and Nurse are their most potent wicket-takers.

India
India have suffered a grumpy few days. After their hammering in the Champions Trophy final, Anil Kumble resigned from the head coach role amid reports of a row with Virat Kohli.

But by and large this is the same squad that had looked so strong until they turned up at The Oval on Sunday for the showpiece. Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah are not included. Rohit has had injury problems so it seems sensible for him to be rested after a hectic few months.

Rishabh Pant, the wicketkeeper, and Kuldeep Yadav have been picked in their place. Ajinkya Rahane and Dinesh Karthik could get a run out as we expect India to rotate their squad over the five matches.

First-innings runs
There have been four ODI in the last five years at the Queen's Park Oval. The scores (1-2 denote match won by team batting first or second) read: 201-2/119-1/219-1/311-1. The 119 you see was a D-L win for India against Sri Lanka. It might not be a run-fest.

Match odds
India are 1.271/4 with West Indies 4.77/2. A case could be made for taking on India here but it would smack of desperation. Essentially, you're saying that they're in a funk after the Kumble furore and Champions Trophy disaster. But we're trying to get inside people's heads, which is never a good sign.

A trade on the Windies could pay off, though, if India, as they have in the past, make a sluggish start in the first game of a series.

West Indies might, I suppose, pick up one win from the five and on that basis it could be argued this is their best chance.

Top West Indies runscorer
Hope and Lewis - sounds like a crime-fighting duo, no? - are 4/1 and 10/3 respectively with Sportsbook. Holder, who is third on the run lists in the last 12 months, could be a spot of value at 10/1. The muscular Rovman Powell may also be worth following at the same price. Lewis is 21/20 to score 21.5 runs or more.

Top India runscorer
Shikhar Dhawan, who top scored in the Champions Trophy, is 3/1 with with Sportsbook with Kohli jolly at 11/4. Rahane, who is expected to replace Rohit, is 16/5. There is a possibility that Hardik Pandya could be shunted up the order after his blitzkrieg at The Oval so the 10/1 catches the eye. Dhawan is 4/5 for 26.5 runs or more.

Recommended Bet
Trade West Indies from 4.77/2 to 2.01/1

Ed Hawkins P-L

2017: +8.6pts
2016: +18.1pts
2015: +38pts
2014: +31.5pts
2013: +25pts
Based only on available prices. Does not include back-to-lay in-running match advice or commission rate. Figures 2013-2016 on 1pt level stakes. New points system (0.5pt-5) introduced for 2017.
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