Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja led India's brilliant bowling performance in a lopsided nine-wicket win against West Indies to wrap up a 3-1 series victory in the fifth and final one-day international.
Uncapped Evin Lewis has been named to replace the injured Lendl Simmons in the West Indies squad for the World Twenty20 in India. The experienced Simmons was ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury. "The 24-year-old left-handed batsman will join the team ahead of the start of the global event," the West Indies Cricket Board said in a statement. Lewis has represented Trinidad & Tobago in the Caribbean T20 and the Champions League and impressed chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd, who led West Indies to two 50-over World Cup triumphs. "Evin Lewis a young and exciting batsman who we believe he will fit into the team set-up very well. He has the ability to perform at this level of the game," Lloyd said. "His selection is in keeping with our policy to give exposure to young, talented players we believe will help to carry West Indies cricket forward," he added. All-rounder Kieron Pollard was ruled out of the World Twenty20 due to a knee injury, spinner Sunil Narine is still working to fix his illegal bowling and all-rounder Darren Bravo has opted to focus on the longer formats of the game.
Who was the most valuable player of the India-West Indies ODI series?
Trent Boult's reaction said it all. The New Zealand fast bowler held his nerve on the final ball of the penultimate over, catching Carlos Brathwaite and ending a magnificent innings that almost handed the Black Caps a first defeat of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019.
Facts and figures for the World Twenty20 final between England and West Indies at Eden Gardens on Sunday: World T20 head-to-head: Played: 4 - West Indies wins 4, England wins 0 All T20 head-to-head: Played: 13 - West Indies wins 9; England wins 4
Every person was tested 72 hours before they travelled in order to ensure that all members of the party were travelling virus free.
Following is a factbox on the second World Twenty20 semi-final between West Indies and India to be played at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, on Thursday.
West Indies captain Jason Holder said his team did not do justice to their potential in the fourth and penultimate ODI, in Mumbai on Monday, but expressed optimism of bouncing back in the series decider.
'It was a pretty gettable total. We couldn't get partnerships, which doesn't happen often. We didn't execute our plans properly'
They made a fast start to their innings with Chris Gayle, dropped by Joe Root in the first over, thumping three huge sixes as the visitors reached 45 without loss after five overs.
Out-of-favour opener Gautam Gambhir cracked his first century in more than two years as India 'A' came up with a solid batting display to take firm control of the third unofficial Test against the West Indies 'A' in Hubli.
David Miller smashed a 34-ball 46 under pressure and Parvinder Awana scalped three wickets as Kings XI Punjab notched up a four-wicket victory over Barbados Trident in the Oppo Champions League twenty20 in Mohali.
India will look to ensure a smooth passage into the semi-finals with yet another victory.
Carlos Brathwaite struck a brilliant century but West Indies still lost to New Zealand by five runs in a thrilling finish, in the World Cup match, in Manchester, on Saturday.
Chris Gayle was not at his brutal best in the IPL but Andre Russell's butchering of the bowlers has forced the teams to take note of what could await them at the World Cup.
Virat Kohli, who needed 81 runs coming into the match, brought up the landmark in his 205th innings as compared to Tendulkar, who took 259 innings to reach the landmark.
Skipper Cheteshwar Pujara scored his third triple hundred in first-class cricket as India gained a stranglehold over the West Indies 'A' in the third unofficial 'Test' in Hubli n Friday. The Saurashtra batsman registered an unbeaten 306 as the home side declared their first innings at 564 for 9, just at the stroke of tea, in reply to the West Indies' 268, to take a 296-run lead.
The series appeared done and dusted when in the 4th ODI on Sunday India began a modest 190-run chase but their intimidating batting line-up fell short by 11 runs in a stunning turnaround on a slow pitch.
The West Indies laid down a significant marker ahead of the ODI series as they comfortably beat England by 21 runs in their sole Twenty20 fixture at Chester-le-Street on Saturday.
India would be aiming to seal the series with yet another resounding performance against a below-par West Indies.
A formidable India will fancy their chances of taking an unassailable 2-0 lead against a weakened West Indies when the two sides lock horns in the third game of the ongoing five-match ODI series, in North Sound, Antigua, on Friday.
Yuvraj Singh's patchy form and fear of inclement weather will be paramount when India take on the West Indies in the second One Day International, in Port of Spain on Sunday.
Chris Gayle will return to the top of the batting order as West Indies look to continue their winning run and secure a semifinal berth when they take on South Africa in the ICC World Twenty20 in Nagpur, on Friday.
- 'We have great players, but great players don't win the World Cup, great teams do' - 'You need to have everybody contributing'
High on confidence after their emphatic victory over England, the West Indies will once again look for an explosive knock from Chris Gayle to inch closer to a semi-final berth when they take on defending champions Sri Lanka in a World Twenty20 Super 10 Group 1 match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Formidable India will hope to get more answers for their unsettled middle-order puzzle when they take on a reeling West Indies in the five-match ODI series, starting Sunday and ticking off the home team's countdown to the 2019 World Cup.
With Jason Holder's men just about managing to draw the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan 1-1, there is no doubt that the current Indian team are a few notches ahead in terms of quality.
Khaleel Ahmed and Kuldeep Yadav picked up three wickets each after centuries from Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu as India demolished West Indies by 224 runs, in the fourth ODI in Mumbai on Monday.
The record-shattering Virat Kohli became the quickest to reach 10,000 ODI runs on his way to slamming yet another century as India notched a competitive 321 for six in the second match against the West Indies, in Visakhapatnam, on Wednesday.
India are favoured to extend their dominance while West Indies face insurmountable odds to draw parity, in the second One-day International, in Visakhapatnam, on Wednesday.
It's never easy for a fast bowler to make a comeback from a knee injury but Mohammed Shami is working very hard to get his rhythm back.
Captain Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten century while Mohammed Shami claimed four wickets as India crushed West Indies by eight wickets in the fifth and final match to win the ODI series 3-1, in Jamaica, on Thursday.
West Indies skipper Darren Sammy made it clear that they "can't take England for granted" in the opening group league fixture of the ICC World T20 on Wednesday in Mumbai.
Cape Cobras held their nerve at key moments to get the better of Barbados Tridents via the 'Super Over' in the Champions League T20 match in Mohali on Friday to keep their slender hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals alive. Chasing a fighting target of 175, Cobras started in whirlwind fashion but lost momentum before scrambling up 174 for five to tie the scores. Jonathan Carter's brilliant unbeaten 111 for Tridents went in vain as the South African outfit came up trumps in a pulsating affair.
While Ajinkya Rahane always scores good runs, he seldom scores them quickly enough. And he doesn't bowl, although he is a handy fielder. Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji assess the India-West Indies ODI series.
Veteran pacer Zaheer Khan's sensational three-wicket burst helped India 'A' crush West Indies 'A' by an innings and 54 runs in the third and final unofficial Test to level the three-match series, in Hubli.
"This will probably be the biggest World Cup, so there will be great expectations and I know we will do very well for the people of the West Indies," he added.
The second World Twenty20 semi-final is likely to hinge on who emerges on top in the battle between the big-hitting West Indian batsmen and India's wily spinners when the former champions clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
Ajinkya Rahane smashed his third ODI hundred as India produced a dominating display to beat West Indies by 105 runs in the second one-dayer in Port of Spain on Sunday.
With Yuvraj Singh's injury-forced ouster disturbing their settled line-up, India have been left with a selection dilemma to handle as they gear up to take on the flamboyant and unpredictable West Indies in what promises to be a battle of nerves in the World Twenty20 semifinal in Mumbai on Thursday. Yuvraj, who has not got big runs but was involved in crucial stands with top performer Virat Kohli during the group stage matches, has been ruled out owing to an ankle injury that he sustained in the must-win game against Australia. Manish Pandey, not in the original 15, has been penciled in to replace the all-rounder in the squad although Ajinkya Rahane is also present as a viable alternative. But it remains to be seen whether skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni chooses between the two or decides to go with rookie all-rounder Pawan Negi.