West Indies v India
Friday 30 June, 13:30
TV: live on Sky Sports
West Indies
West Indies suffered the sort of brutal beating which is reserved for the denouement in an action movie last time out. They were kicked from pillar to post in a 105-run loss.
Worst of all their odds just got bigger and bigger from ball one. This is a team who are struggling to even turn the tide in-game, let alone come out on top. They conceded 310 from 43 overs and were then two down in the third over. Game over.
There were only two standout performances to write about. Ashley Nurse was economical in a sea of profligacy with his off-spin. Shai Hope batted nicely for 81 of 89 balls.
Hope springs eternal. To that end, West Indies have called up his brother, Kyle, who is captain of Trinidad and Tobago to strengthen the batting. Another new face is Sunil Ambris, a wicketkeeper-batsman.
India
India didn't break sweat in game two. A century from Ajinkya Rahane and half-centuries from Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli set them up perfectly for an easy time in the field.
Kohli's 87, off 66, was the most brutal innings and Indian fans will be heartened to see the row with Anil Kumble, the departed coach, has not hindered his batting.
Kuldeep Yadav was the chief destroyer with the ball. He took three wickets as Windies failed to pick his variations from the wrist.
Kuldeep's rise is significant. He is the next spinner off the production line and at only 22, he could soon be a regular in the Test XI as well.
First-innings runs
There have now been 15 ODI matches at North Sound. The scores in all those games (most recent first) read: 225-296-303-159-269-249-225-300-380-247-235-174-104(22 overs)-177-322. It should be a decent batting wicket then.
Match odds
India are 1.232/9 and West Indies 5.39/2. Realistically we are looking at trading options given the gulf between the pair. But it is becoming increasingly hard to retain faith in West indies after that performance in game two when they couldn't even achieve parity for a single over.
Top West Indies runscorer
Jason Mohammed has 122 runs in two innings at North Sound so the good vibes he gets when he walks through the gates should help him forget his eight-ball duck in the second match. He is 5/1 with Sportsbook and that looks a little overpriced considering his record and his No 3 batting position. We consistently like Jason Holder at big odds but the 13/2 this time doesn't float our boat. Shai Hope is 10/3.
Top India runscorer
The big three - Rahane, Dhawan and Kohli - come in at 13/5, 13/5 and 12/5 respectively with Sportsbook. With Kohli 7/1 for man of the match you may as well take that price if you fancy him for honours. Hardik Pandya batted at No 4 last time so the 9/1 catches the eye, although he was probably only promoted because they had such a terrific platform. MS Dhoni doesn't look too shabby at 12/1. Rahane is 11/10 for a fifty and Dhawan the same.
Top bowler
A bit of value here considering the wicket does not appear to take spin. There are no twirlers in the top ten wicket-takers. So Alzarri Joseph at 4/1 with Sportsbook may be worth a follow. Hardik also appeals at 9/2. Kuldeep is 4/1.
Recommended Bet
Kohli man of the match 7/1 Sportsbook (0.5pt)