India vs West Indies: key player battles

After a rather long break, helped by a near washed out test match, India and West Indies resume the action. This time the destination is Lauderhill in Florida, which is set to host consecutive T20 internationals over the weekend. Here are the India vs West Indies: key player battles to look out for.

1) Gayle vs Ashwin

The test series saw the absence of a number of Caribbean stars, who were instead committed to take part in the Caribbean Premier League. Chief amongst them was Chris Gayle. Gayle is not only the most experienced cricketer from both sides, he is also the single most destructive force in T20 cricket.

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However, R Ashwin has more than managed to hold his own against the Jamaican superstar. The two have squared off quite a few times, both in internationals as well as in the IPL. Taking the new ball on occasion, Ashwin has more often than not been able to keep Gayle quiet. This was a major factor in Royal Challengers Bangalore failing to win IPL 2011.

Gayle also had a mediocre IPL 2016 with just 227 runs in 10 innings. The duo renew hostilities two and a half months after the IPL. It will also be interesting to see how Dhoni utilizes his premier spinner. He had shown reluctance in giving Ashwin his full quota of overs in the IPL and the World T20 before.

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Sitam Chaki