The Test series might have turned out to be a little one-sided, but when India and West Indies lock horns in two matches in Florida, expect it to be a lot closer.
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“I am very excited”. In the last six years, West Indies have won two World T20 titles. The Men In Blue who had a very successful time in the Test series, will welcome back regular skipper MS Dhoni in the fold, and he will be looking to get his season underway on a positive note. Photo by WICB Media/Randy Brooks of Brooks Latouche Photography.
“This is the first time that I’ll be working with MS, obviously we have played together over a long period of time and we had a chat yesterday and today as well. I even jokingly suggested to Alastair Cook that we play a decider, to which he said, “You must be wanting it at Lord’s or The Oval?’, and my response was, ‘No, we can beat you at Old Trafford and Edgbaston, too”.
India had been number one for less than a week after displacing Australia at the top on August 17.
“I don’t think there’s much to be said about Andre”, Simmons said. So winning against India is always going to be high on the agenda. “It is a new venture when it comes to cricket in the US”.
“I haven’t seen the surface properly yet but Narine played here for Trinidad & Tobago in the CPL and he has done well and adapted well”.
“I am just the lucky coach who has been with the team now but others have done wonderfully well”, he added, singling out his predecessor Waqar Younis. They have good players in the form of Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons and Dwayne Bravo in the middle order. On Monday, Pakistan with 111 points topped the ICC ranking after the final fourth Test match between India and the West Indies ended in tame draw at Port of Spain due to rain. It gives you ample time. They have two or three.
“The smaller the format, the bigger the impact that power hitters have on the game”, he continued. “They also play an entertaining brand of cricket, so it will be a challenge for us”.
USA T20 series schedule: India vs West Indies.
“Let’s just find a way to win both these games and make the people of the Caribbean proud”.
Cricket-obsessed Pakistanis were Tuesday celebrating their national team’s “incredible journey” to the top of the Test rankings after a turbulent seven years in which it was forced to play home matches on neutral venues.
Pakistan, who drew on their recent Test series are the fifth team to top the ranks.
“West Indies are always a tough side and they are the World T20 champions”. “The only thing that we are doing is that we will prepare as best as we can because India is going to be coming looking for revenge for the semi-final loss and we have to make sure that we are ready for whatever they bring to us”.
No wonder, Ashwin took the onlookers by surprise as he quizzed: “What do you think of cricket going to the US?”
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He has a full-strength side back at his disposal, but Mahendra Singh Dhoni knows India has a battle on its hands as it takes on West Indies in a series of two T20 matches this weekend at Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill.
