India vs West Indies: Virat Kohli & Co set to unleash pace duo on WI in Guwahati ODI

In the absence of rested duo Bhunvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, pacers Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav will look to dent the Windies batting in the opening ODI to set the tone for the rest of the series.

There is an old adage in cricket that says ‘fast-bowlers hunt in packs’ and same could be the case when India take on West Indies in the first ODI of the 5-match series in Guwahati on Sunday.

Mohammed Shami (L) and Umesh Yadav during a practice session. (PTI)

In the absence of rested duo Bhunvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, pacers Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav will look to dent the Windies batting in the opening ODI to set the tone for the rest of the series.

West Indies are the favourite opponent for Shami and Umesh as both have scalped more than 20 wickets against them in the 50-over format of the game.

Since 2010, Shami and Umesh are the only pacers with 20 or more wickets against West Indies in ODIs. Spinners Ravindra Jadeja, Imran Tahir and Ravichandran Ashwin are the other bowlers to do so.

Moreover, Shami and Umesh’s bowling average against West Indies in ODIs is the best among Indian bowlers with 20 or more wickets.

To add to that, Shami and Umesh are among the top five bowlers with best wickets/innings with 20 or more wickets against West Indies in ODIs.

Squads:

India (first two ODIs) - Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Khaleel Ahmed, Umesh Yadav

West Indies - Jason Holder(c), Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Rovman Powell, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Fabian Allen, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Oshane Thomas, Obed McCoy, Kieran Powell