Much to the crowd's delight, hosts India pulled off a record chase to hunt down a herculean 208-run total set by the Windies on the back of a belligerent 94-run knock by skipper Virat Kohli and a quick-fire half ton by opener KL Rahul.
Another high scoring affair is expected in the 2nd T2O international, if one were to go by reports suggesting that the deck at the Greenfield stadium at Thiruvanathapuram will be a batting beauty. Pitch curator Biju has suggested that the crowd is in for an absolute treat as the pitch will hold true for batting spectacle all through the 40 overs.
Pitch Report: “This is going to be a pitch where lots of runs can be expected. Even with likely rains, the pitch will favour the batsmen,” the pitch curator was quoted as saying by PTI.
Speaking to the media, Greenfield International Stadium pitch curator Biju said that two pitches have been readied and has been cleared by the ICC representatives.
This is the third international fixture at the state-of-the-art Greenfield Stadium and has been a lucky venue for India as they have won both the matches they have played.
Weather Report: Both the Indian and West Indies team would to eager to play out a full T2OI contest at the Greenfield Stadium to decide on the true winner on merit rather than rain interruptions playing a role in deciding in whose favour do the fortunes tilt.
The weather forecast seems to be pretty bright for a full game of cricket in store despite it raining off and on in Thiruvanathapuram and light showers predicted during the day time, leading upto the game.
The 7 pm evening start would ensure that the rain gods will stay away as the clouds are expected to clear closer to the commencement of the match in the evening. The temperature is expected to be hover between the 25 and 30 degrees centigrade range during the match hours in the evening.
Probable XIs
India predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (C), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar
West Indies predicted XI: Evin Lewis, Brandon King, Nicolas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Kieron Pollard (C), Denesh Ramdin (wk), Jason Holder, Khary Pierre, Kesrick Williams, Sheldon Cottrell, Hayden Walsh