India vs. West Indies, 4th ODI: Date, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

After the third ODI between India and the West Indies was washed out, the teams have one win each as they head into the fourth match on Friday.

Venue: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

Commences: Friday, Oct. 17

Start time: 10 a.m. BST (2:30 p.m. local)

Live on: Star Sports (India), SuperSport (South Africa), SkySports (UK), Willow TV (USA and Canada), Ten Sports (Caribbean)

Weather: The forecast from AccuWeather.com is all clear. Temperatures will be in the low 20s, but sunny with no chance of rain interrupting proceedings at any point.

Overview

This has been quite an ODI series. The West Indies won the first game emphatically, then lost, then the third match was washed out. While all this was going on, the board was still in dispute over the players’ pay.

While that remains the case, off-field issues will have to be shelved for now. There’s cricket to play, and the two teams head for the picturesque stadium in Dharamsala to do exactly that.

India looked far more composed during their win in Delhi, but probably only edged the victory because the West Indies self-destructed during what should have been a simple chase.

Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra engineered the downfall, with West Indies losing eight wickets for just 45 runs in an attempt to chase 263.

The pitch in Dharamsala is far more bouncy and will suit the fast bowlers more than the track in Delhi did. Jerome Taylor will be a key factor for the West Indies, and following his three-wicket haul in the last ODI, he will have the confidence to spur him on.

Whoever wins this match will hold the aces heading into the final ODI to be played in Kolkata next week.

Not only will a win be a boost in confidence, but it’s also one step closer to claiming a series victory.

As the World Cup draws nearer, these kinds of pressure matches will become increasingly important, too. The West Indies have a good group of players. They just need to learn how to hold their nerve.  

Key players

India

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has not yet taken a wicket in this series, but his economy rate of 4.11 is lower than any of the other Indian bowlers. This pitch should suit him better, and he is likely to get plenty of swing.

He’s likely to play a key part in keeping the West Indies batsmen in check.

West Indies

West Indies batting has been very erratic and a reliable performance from the middle-order will be key. Denesh Ramdin will have to lead from the front if his top order fails him. He had a good knock in the first match, scoring 61, and now needs to follow that up with another big score.

Squads

India: MS Dhoni (captain and wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Murali Vijay, Kuldeep Yadav, Akshar Patel.

West Indies: Dwayne Bravo (captain), Dwayne Smith, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Marlon Samuels, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor, Sulieman Benn, Jason Holder, Leon Johnson.