India vs Windies 2021-22, 2nd ODI: Men in Blue eager to seal the series

It will be a tough battle at hand, as India and Windies face off in the second One-Day International (ODI) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. India is already in the driver's seat with a 1-0 lead, while the Windies will be desperate for a comeback. In the same light, we present the match preview of this virtual decider.

Current form
India suffered a 0-3 whitewash in its last ODI outing in South Africa. On the other hand, Windies is coming off an embarrassing 1-2 loss to Ireland at home. Thus, going by the trend, wither teams are the favourites, while India playing at home has a significant advantage.

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Team strength & weaknesses, and players to watch out
India will rely on its batting loaded with superstars, making it its strength. However, its bowling was phenomenal in the last game and could prove to be the x-factor in this tie as well. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal and Mohammed Siraj will be the ones to make an impact.

For Windies, it will be its bowling that is its strength, that troubled the Indian batters to some extent in the last game. However, its batting must not be taken lightly at any cost. Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran, Alzari Joseph, Kemar Roach and Hayden Walsh could turn things around for the Caribbean.

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Injury concerns and head-to-head
While both sides don't have any significant injury concerns, India hopes to have Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shreyas Iyer back from COVID soon. The two teams have faced each other in 134 ODIs, locked at 64 wins each. Meanwhile, in India, the host has a marginal lead of 30-28. In Ahmedabad, of the six encounters between the two, Windies has an authority of 4-2.

Weather and pitch report
The Ahmedabad weather will be cold, with expected temperatures between 16-29 degrees. Although the track gets slow with the passing game, keeping the dew factor in mind under lights, it will be better to chase upon winning the toss.

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Probable XI
IND: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal and Prasidh Krishna.
WI: Brandon King, Shai Hope (wk), Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard (c), Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Alzarri Joseph, Akeal Hosein and Kemar Roach.

Fantasy XI
Batters: Rohit, Bravo, Yadav - Rohit and Bravo will give the perfect start, while Yadav will consolidate in the middle.
Wicketkeeper: Pant - While there were three other contenders, considering the form and hitting abilities, Pant makes the cut.
All-rounders: Holder, Allen, Sundar (vc) - Holder has been doing great across departments, while Allen can do the same with the bat. Sundar has been effective with his spins, making him deputy captain.
Bowlers: Chahal (c), Krishna, Siraj, Joseph - Chahal was heavily impactful with his spin and would be no different this time, making him the skipper. The remaining three were great with their pace and would be the same story in this game.

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Match details
Date and day: February 9, 2022 (Wednesday)
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Time: 1.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 Hindi (also available in HD)
Where to watch (Online): Hotstar