Mumbai, Oct 28 (IANS) India will aim to pull up the socks in both batting and bowling departments when they face a resurgent West Indies in the fourth One Day International (ODI) at the Brabourne Stadium here on Monday.
West Indies got a much needed boost when they defeated India by 43 runs in the third ODI to register their first win of the tour.
Chasing a healthy 284, India looked on course with skipper Virat Kohli belting an excellent 107 off 119 balls, his third consecutive century of the series, and opener Shikhar Dhawan scoring 35 before a middle order collapse, coupled with some disciplined bowling, bundled the hosts out for 240 in 47.4 overs.
Apart from Kohli, the rest of the Indian batting has not been in the top form in the series. The usually bankable wicketkeeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni has also been a flop, scoring just 27 runs in two matches.
The bowling has also leaked runs. The hosts have conceded above 300 runs in two of the three games.
With the ODI World Cup coming up early next year, the poor performance at home against an inexperienced team like West Indies must be giving sleepless nights to the Indian team management and selectors.
The visitors on the other hand will be high on confidence. Having missed what would have been a well deserved victory in the tied second match, the boys from the Caribbean were clearly the better side in the third match.
The visitors will once again bank on the likes of the in-form duo of Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer who have been in excellent form.
Hope has scored 250 runs in three matches which includes one half century and one century along with a clinical 32.
The other batsmen Kieron Powell, Chanderpaul Hemraj and Rovman Powell have done well in the supporting role.
The West Indians will also be hoping for veteran Marlon Samuels to pull up his socks and strengthen the fragile middle order.
Skipper Jason Holder has had a decent series so far, contributing with both the bat and ball, but the tourists will mainly be concerned with the performance of their frontline pacers in Kemar Roach and Oshane Thomas, who have been milked at will by the Indian top order.
The West Indian spin pair of Devendra Bishoo and Ashley Nurse have a lot to work on in the middle overs if they fancy any chances of taking the lead in the series.
Squads:
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Rishabh Pant, M.S. Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Umesh Yadav, Lokesh Rahul, Manish Pandey.
West Indies: Jason Holder (captain), Fabian Allen, Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (wicketkeeper), Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Rovman Powell, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Oshane Thomas.
