Team India won the toss and decided to bowl first in the second ODI against West Indies at Guwahati. The hosts lead the series 1-0 after a convincing eight-wicket win in the first match of the series.
After winning the toss, elected to bowl first. He further confirmed that pacer Auqib Nabi will make his ODI debut.
“We’re gonna bowl first. [On the Guwahati surface and the extra grass compared to the previous venue] Yeah, a bit more grass, and looks a little bit patchy at times. So I think there’ll be a little bit more for the fast bowlers initially. I think it was, after being put under pressure in the first 20-25 overs, the way we came back was really good. I think everyone looked well. Even Rohit bhai was looking in good touch, so hopefully it’s gonna be another good game for us. [On changes to India’s XI] We’ve got one change. Auqib Nabi makes his debut in place of Nitish.” Gill said.
West Indies admitted that he would have bowled first too on the Guwahati surface. He added that despite defeat in the first ODI, he was pleased with the team’s batting performance.
“Yeah, definitely would have fielded as well. [On West Indies’ record as a chasing side and the challenge of batting first] Yeah, for sure. You know, coin toss is a 50-50 chance, and regardless of what happens, we got to do well. So we’ve got another opportunity today to put some runs on the board and try to get a good score and give our bowlers something to defend. Just about understanding and identifying the areas we need to improve and finding ways to get better at them as quickly as we can.” Hope said.
Playing XI for both teams:
West Indies (Playing XI): John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope(w/c), Amir Jangoo, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Keemo Paul, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales, Vitel Lawes
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul(w), Naman Dhir, Ravindra Jadeja, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna