Young champions start afresh against hosts
ESPNcricinfo previews the second match of the tri-series between West Indies and India in Kingston
Match facts
Sunday, June 30Start time 0930 (1430 GMT)
Big Picture
Six months ago, Indian cricket was supposed to be at its nadir. On the back of those eight successive overseas Test defeats came a shocking home Test series loss to England. Reeling in the face of doomed conquests and fallen bastions, MS Dhoni and his men managed to come up with the ultimate public relations disaster - a home one-day series defeat to Pakistan. There was nowhere to hide. Australia had arrived to play four Tests. Fortunately for India, the visitors had no clue about facing spin and had plenty of demons of their own to handle. Then came the IPL to distract everyone. And then India went to England - where their mighty had begun to fall in 2011 - and won the Champions Trophy with a squad so young and inexperienced the major justification for its selection was that planning for the 2015 World Cup had already started.Form guide
West Indies WTLWW (most recent first, last five completed matches)India WWWWW
In the spotlight
India's openers had a dream run in the Champions Trophy, their partnerships reading 127, 101, 58, 77 and 19. Shikhar Dhawan returns to the venue of a failed comeback to the India side in 2011, while Rohit Sharma returns to the place where he was Man of the Series in 2011. Dhawan is the man who can do no wrong at the moment, while - despite successive fifties at an unfamiliar position in the Champions Trophy - Rohit is still walking around with the familiar tag of the underachiever. Both would have developed some sort of understanding during the Champions Trophy. How will they build on it in this series?Team news
The big win against Sri Lanka should encourage West Indies to go in with the same XI. Kemar Roach was a bit of a letdown in that match, but he earned backing from his captain, who said while West Indies were glad to have someone like Tino Best in the reserves, there was no issue with Roach's performance.Pitch and conditions
Angelo Mathews thought the toss was crucial on Friday, as the Sabina Park pitch eased out in the second innings. Sri Lanka had been put in on what Mathews called a two-paced surface, which had a few dark patches suggesting uneven distribution of moisture. However, there was no alarming swing or seam.Stats and trivia
- Amit Mishra's last ODI was in June 2011 against West Indies in Kingston
- West Indies lead India 3-2 in completed one-dayers at Sabina Park
- Chris Gayle is only the third batsman to hit 200 sixes in ODIs. MS Dhoni is the next current player on the list, and eighth overall, with 152
- Denesh Ramdin will be playing his 100th ODI
Quotes
"That's a big advantage. It gives me, as a captain, and the team a better insight into how individual players think and how they play."Dwayne Bravo on another positive of the IPL
MS Dhoni on the vibes in the India dressing room
Abhishek Purohit is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo