Kohli and co. will kick off their Caribbean tour with a T20 clash in the USA this Saturday.
Kohli and co. will kick off their Caribbean tour with a T20 clash in the USA this Saturday.
West Indies – +147 at Bovada India – -181.82
While most of the cricket world’s gaze is focused on Birmingham for the first Test of the 2019 Ashes series, the West Indies and India are preparing for battle on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Virat Kohli and company will commence their tour of the Caribbean with a three-match T20 series that starts this Saturday at Florida’s Central Broward Regional Park – the only ground in the United States with ICC approval for international matches.
The two sides met at the same venue back in August 2016, when an Evin Lewis century gave the West Indies a one-run victory in a match that holds the world record for most runs scored in a T20 International (489).
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The hosts will be hoping for a similar result as they seek revenge for their heavy defeat to India in the group stage of the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
For the tourists, this is an opportunity to overwrite the bad press that has plagued them since the CWC semi-final defeat to New Zealand last month.
Talk of a fallout between Kohli and fellow superstar Rohit Sharma has shaken the Indian cricket community and sparked speculation of a potential change in captaincy for the white-ball teams.
To make matters worse, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed earlier this week that rising star Prithvi Shaw will sit out the next few months while he serves a doping ban.
So while it might not have the glitz and glamour of the Ashes, this series has plenty of symbolic significance for both sides.
Shimron Hetmyer – +350 at Bovada
We only saw glimpses of Hetmyer’s quality at the ICC World Cup, but there is no mistaking the broad scope of his talent. The 22-year-old Guyanese star is expected to bat up the order in the T20 games, so get on.
Rohit Sharma – +350 at Bovada
How can you look past a guy who just scored five centuries at the Cricket World Cup? Rohit is India’s man of the moment and offers terrific value as one of the form bats on the planet.
Sheldon Cottrell – +275 at Bovada
While the West Indies bowlers had an ordinary 2019 World Cup all told, Cottrell was the most dangerous over the course of the tournament. Expect the Jamaican quick to pull out his signature salute at least once.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar – +275 at Bovada
India have rested several big names for the early phase of their Caribbean tour, including Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Yuzvendra Chahal. That leaves the ever-reliable Bhuvneshwar as the main man in the attack.
India to win – -181.82 at Bovada
Both sides have swapped out some of their star players for young, hungry talent, which always makes it a little tougher to tip a winner. The Indians still have a stacked batting order, however, and should overpower a Windies bowling outfit that struggled at the ODI World Cup.