WI’s last chance to stay alive in series

01 Nov WI’s last chance to stay alive in series

West Indies’ Shai Hope (R) hits a boundary as India’s wicketkeeper MS Dhoni looks on during the second One Day International (ODI) match between West Indies and India at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on June 25, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

India came to the Caribbean after yielding their Champions Trophy crown but they haven’t taken long to find their happy place again. They scored 300-plus in less than 50 overs in their first completed match since the defeat to Pakistan, bringing the cricket world back to the status quo.

If West Indies are to shake things up and more importantly stay alive in the series, they’ll have to find a way past India’s strongest suit: a top order that, by now, must be making runs as they sleepwalk. Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli are racking them up with such greed that their team-mates from Nos 4 might have forgotten how it feels to be out in the middle. Over the last six games, only twice has a middle-order batsman been needed to face even 40 balls. Both came in losing causes.