A thrilling series between India and West Indies concludes on Thursday when the two sides meet for the fifth and final time with the outcome fully on the line. India secured a share of the series in Mumbai on Monday but need to win this final game to actually win it.
West Indies have performed with plenty of credit in this series and go into the final game knowing a win will give them a share of it which is probably the least they deserve given the challenge they have provided.
India
I guess India were going to do a job on West Indies at some point but once again it only masks the inadequacies they have in their current side. We’ve seen throughout the series and prior to it that when the India top order stay intact they can be extremely tough to beat but if you get through them early they are increasingly vulnerable.
With time running out between now and the start of the World Cup that is becoming more of an issue. I guess it helps when the top three or four are as good as the one India have but even so it isn’t ideal. India did show in the last game that there is little wrong with their bowling attack which is very much a positive.
West Indies
In the main the West Indies have given a really good account of themselves and if they had held their nerve in the second match of the series they would be going into this clash 2-2 with all the marbles on the line. They didn’t though so they head into this encounter knowing a share of the spoils is all they can aim for.
West Indies have shown they know what they need to do to beat India. They have to get through with the new ball and hope to get into the Indian middle order. The last match aside, they have shown they can put up big runs against this Indian side so there really is the onus on the bowlers to hold up their end of the bargain.
Team News
India are expected to name an unchanged side for this match but the time when MS Dhoni needs to be moved on has to be getting closer. There is only so long he can remain in this side for his tactical expertise.
West Indies may feel it worth making changes after a bit of a going over in the previous game. Fabian Allen’s spot in the side would look insecure given his minimal impact thus far. Sunil Ambris and Devendra Bishoo are waiting in the wings.
Greenfield Stadium
This will be the first ODI held here and only the second international match ever on this ground. The other game was a T20 between India and New Zealand which the rain heavily affected and restricted to an eight over match so it is hard to judge what we are going to see based on what has been staged at the ground so far.
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Betting
Hopefully, from a neutral’s point of view at least, we’ve seen the end of the blowouts in this series and we get a really good game of cricket to round off what has been a fantastic battle thus far. West Indies certainly deserve to be competitive on what we’ve seen so far.
All the talk ahead of the match is how flat the pitch looks so we’ve got to think that these two talented batting line ups will fill their boots in much the same way they did at the beginning of the series. West Indies have put up a couple of 300+ scores in the series and India have three of them. If one gets on in this match then over 540.5 runs should land. That’s where my money is going.
Tips
Back Over 540.5 runs for a 4/10 stake at 2.00 with Bet365
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