🏏West Indies tour of India 2026: 2nd ODI - on 30/09/26 @2:00 PM IST🏏- Page 2

In the spotlight

Nitish Kumar Reddy began the first ODI with a 17-run over, overpitching frequently and getting hit for four fours by Justin Greaves. This was the second over of the match, and India didn't use him again in the first powerplay. He came back later, however, and pulled things back fairly well in his last four overs, including giving away just seven runs and taking a wicket in the final over of the innings. Given the questions around Hardik Pandya's fitness, Reddy becomes a vital player in the lead-up to the 2027 World Cup. He has added a yard of pace in recent months, and India will hope his bowling continues to grow as they try and mould him into a world-class seam-bowling allrounder across formats.

Since his debut in May 2022, Keacy Carty is the second-highest ODI run-getter for West Indies behind his captain Shai Hope, and his 1827 runs have come at an impressive average of 40.60. His strike rate of 75.12, however, is the third-worst of all batters with 1500-plus runs in this period, and his slow start in Thiruvananthapuram, where he made 13 off 31 balls, contributed to India's fightback after Greaves and John Campbell had put on 135 at more than seven an over. Carty's talent - as shown by twin hundreds against England and a match-winning 95 earlier this year against New Zealand - isn't in question, but he will want to add more gears to his game to help West Indies step up to the next level as an ODI team.