AFTER Christopher Gayle and Sunil Narine guided the victory charge against Sri Lanka on Friday, the West Indies will focus their attention on Asian powerhouses India in the Celkon Mobile 50-overs match at Sabina Park today, starting at 9:30 am.
The talented regional players, led by One-Day International (ODI) captain Dwayne Bravo, will face the team that comfortably defeated them in the ICC Champions Trophy group stage three weeks ago, en route to the title.But Bravo, who talked up his team’s chances on home soil in the build-up to this rare Tri-Nation tournament, pointed to increased confidence within the camp.“The win (against Sri Lanka) will do us well (and) once we can get some wins under our belts our confidence keeps rising,” he said on Friday after West Indies were boosted by Gayle’s explosive 109 and Narine’s crafty 4-40 in 10 overs.While the loss to India — also the ODI World champions — must have stung, it was the last-gasp tie with South Africa under the Duckworth & Lewis method that sent the West Indies back home.Neither head coach Ottis Gibson nor Bravo has tried to side-step the collective disappointment of going out early. Upon arrival in Jamaica, both suggested that this series provides the opportunity to prove that, with better fortune, they could have been the Champions Trophy holders.Bravo predicted “a cracker of a game” while acknowledging India’s strength.“We know India is a very good team. It is going to be a very good game because both teams are very strong with bowling and batting. Let’s see how it’s going to come out… I know it’s going to be a cracker of a game, but I’m going to make sure our guys come out and give 100 per cent again and try to string another victory,” he said.While West Indies took a break from on-field practice yesterday, India turned out at Sabina Park for a light session.Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni told reporters at a press conference that he did not see Gayle’s methodical and brutal knock or Narine’s spin wizardry on a sluggish pitch, but said both teams know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.He added that sticking to the “basics” and not deviating too much from the tried and proven is the main aim of his formidable team.“If we know them (the West Indies players) well, they also know us in the same way. I think it helps both the teams to prepare well and it makes the game more interesting… but I think at the end of the day it falls on how you execute the plans.“We will keep it simple, we stick to the basics, do the small things correctly and that will have an impact on the game. It’s important that we stick to our strengths, don’t deviate too much but we have to adapt as the situation arises,” he said, while avoiding any predictions on how the batting surface may play.India and Sri Lanka will clash on Tuesday before the action switches to the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad & Tobago.Squads: West Indies — Dwayne Bravo (capt), Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Johnson Charles, Christopher Gayle, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith.India — Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Amit Mishra, Shami Ahmed, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, Umesh Yadav.West Indies batsman Chris Gayle celebrates his century against Sri Lanka in the Tri-nation Series at Sabina Park on Friday. (PHOTOS: BRYAN CUMMINGS)India’s cricketers go through their paces during a training session at Sabina Park yesterday in preparation for their Tri-nation Series match against hosts West Indies today.View the original article here
"Cracker of a game"
