Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world today. In fact, with over 2.5 billion fans worldwide, the game is the second biggest sport, only surpassed in popularity by association football. The sport has its roots in English history, and in fact, is considered the United Kingdom's national sport. Nowadays, the popularity of cricket is widespread, especially in countries like the UK, Australia, and most of all, South Asia.
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India especially is a country where cricket thrives. In recent years, India has had huge success on the international scene. They were the runner ups in the 2019-2021 ICC World Test Championship, they've won the ACC Asia Cup seven times, most recently in 2018, and the ICC Cricket World Cup twice, most recently in 2011.
Cricket is also a huge betting sport in the country. Betting sites that cover the sport have begun to put special attention to cricket live odds, as live betting is becoming a lot more popular than ever before.
In 2022, India has had quite the track record. In their latest One Day International game, India faced off against the West Indies. In this article, we are going to see how they did.
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ODI 1 of 3
The first of the three ODI matches against the West Indies ended up in an Indian victory by six wickets, with a score of 176 – 178/4. The game was played in the Narendra Modi Stadium in India, and the Indian team won the tosses, choosing to bowl.
The game ended with a solid Indian victory, and so the Indian team took the lead in the series. This victory would serve as a portent for the things to come. This isn't to say that the West Indies team was slacking. Jason Holder was especially a stand-out among the West Indies players. However, the Indian team was simply better equipped for the win.
ODI 2 of 3
In the second game, both teams managed to do a lot better. However, the Indian team gave a much stronger performance, ending the game with a score of 237/9, against the West Indies score of 193. The game was played in India, however, this time the West Indies got the advantage of the toss, and the team decided to bowl.
This advantage would ultimately prove to not be enough, as the Indian team dominated the West Indies, winning by 44 runs. Stand-out players for the Indian team during this match were certainly Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, and Deepak Hooda.
ODI 3 of 3
In the third game of the ODI series, India clinched a 3 out of 3 victories against the West Indies. Of the three, this one was definitely the most one-sided, with the West Indies losing by 96 runs and a final score of 265 to 169. The Indian team barely broke a sweat winning this match. Whether that be due to the skill of the team, or the West Indies' lack of morale, or both, remains to be seen.
The stand-out player for the Indian team was definitely Shreyas Iyer, who was awarded the Player of the Match award. His teammate Prasidh Krishna was awarded the Player of the Series award, and the Indian team left the stadium with a clenched victory in the series.
T20 1 of 3
As of the writing of this article, the Indian team is scheduled to go against the West Indies team in the T20 series. The first match of the series is going to be played on Feb, 16. According to experts, the probability favours the Indian team, however, the outcome remains to be seen.