Chris Gayle on the verge of overtaking Brian Lara as West Indies and India look for decisive lead

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  • Chris Gayle is set to make his 300th ODI appearance for Windies.

    After rain played spoilsport in the series opener at Guyana, West Indies and India will be hoping for clear skies when the two teams lock horns in the second ODI in Port of Spain on Sunday.

    Just 13 overs of play was possible in the first ODI before the game was called off. India remain the favourites for Sunday’s clash with the Men in Blue whitewashing the Windies 3-0 in the preceding T20I series.

    Hosts search for ODI redemption

    Despite the presence of some of the most exciting limited-overs talents, it has been an unending struggle for West Indies in the ODI format.

    The last time that the two-time world champions won an ODI series was all the way back in August, 2014 when they blanked Bangladesh 3-0 on their home soil. In the five years since, West Indies have played 19 ODI series without winning a single one of them.

    Eighteen of those series have come under the captaincy of all-rounder Jason Holder and he will be desperate for the horrendous run to come to an end.

    A loss on Friday will make it 20 series without a win and that is an unflattering record the Windies will definitely not want to have besides their name.

    No ODI series win sine 2014 for Windies.

    No ODI series win since 2014 for Windies.

    Gayle on the verge of double milestone

    Chris Gayle’s wish to play one more ODI series after the World Cup has been granted but the veteran’s decision has also divided opinions. Many feel that the time is right for the 39-year-old to now step aside and the let the ODI team rebuild.

    The Jamaican has not given any indication that the current series will be his last for the West Indies but he will definitely not want to bow out before breaking Brian Lara’s longstanding record.

    The most-capped Windies ODI player in history will be making his 300th appearance in the format on Sunday and will have his eyes on overhauling Lara’s run-tally.

    With 10,342 runs to his name in 299 matches, Gayle is just seven runs away from become the all-time leading run-scorer for West Indies in ODI cricket. Lara currently holds the record with 10,348 runs in 295 matches.

    Chris Gayle can add another record to his name.

    Chris Gayle can add another record to his name.

    India likely to remain unchanged

    With the first ODI lasting just 13 overs, skipper Virat Kohli will be hesitant to make changes. The visitors had named 24-year-old batsman Shreyas Iyer in the playing XI for the clash and he will likely get another chance on Sunday.

    The middle-order batsman can be the answer to India’s No4 issue if he can take his chances. Kedar Jadhav also seems set to feature on Sunday after being preferred over the likes of KL Rahul and Manish Pandey in the first ODI.

    It was Kuldeep Yadav who captured the sole wicket of Gayle in the first ODI and the left-arm wrist-spinner will most probably get the nod over Yuzvendra Chahal again. Kuldeep was well below his best at the recent World Cup but Kohli will be hoping that the wicket of Gayle can help the 24-year-old rediscover his bowling rhythm again.

    Kohli is likely to field the same XI.

    Kohli is likely to field the same XI.

    LIKELY XIs

    West Indies: Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis,Shai Hope (wk), Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Roston Chase, Jason Holder (c), Fabian Allen, Carlos Brathwaite, Kemar Roach, Sheldon Cottrell.

    India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Kedar Jadhav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed.

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