Format changes, but can the results for West Indies?

Overview

**West Indies v India, 1st ODI**Providence Stadium, Guyana, West Indies
Thursday, 8 August, 9.30am local time, 1.30pm GMT

West Indies were outplayed in all three departments by India in the T20Is. They now face an uphill task against the second-placed team in the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Rankings, and captain Jason Holder will expect more intensity from his team, as was the case during the home series against England earlier this year. Chris Gayle, who had aggregated 424 runs in four innings then, could be a key player, as he stands 11 short of becoming the highest run-scorer for West Indies in ODI cricket.

As for Virat Kohli's men, the performances of the younger lot in T20Is will please the team management immensely. While it'll be interesting to see if one or both of Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey make it to the XI, Shikhar Dhawan, the experienced opening batsman, will eye a big score as he returns to the format after having sustained a thumb injury during the World Cup.

Remember the last timeAfter a steady 72 from Virat Kohli, followed by a strong finish from MS Dhoni, India's bowlers ran through West Indies to bowl them out for 143 and register a comprehensive 125-run win, when these two sides last met, at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019.

What they said:

Jason Holder (captain, West Indies):"Too many instances where we have gotten starts as individuals but never carried them deep into the innings, so that's one area we have pinpointed, and once we've tackled that, we have put ourselves in our very good position."

Virat Kohli (captain, India):"For us, the priority has been always to be one of the most consistent sides in world cricket. And in the last three-four years, we have been able to achieve that. We are the No.2 side in the world and there's a good reason for that."

Conditions

There might be some spotty showers in the morning, but the weather is expected to get brighter as the day wears along. If the last T20I was any indicator, the conditions will offer equal assistance for batsmen and bowlers, promising an exciting contest. Teams batting first have won three of the last four ODIs played at the Providence Stadium.