West Indies Tour of India 2018 - Venues, Pitch, and Weather Details -

India vs West Indies – After successive abroad test series defeats this year, Team India is set to return to its home turf for the series against the West Indies team this October. The West Indies tour of India commences with the Test series, First of which will be played at Saurashtra cricket stadium, Rajkot from 4 October to 8 October. The Second Test match Will be Played at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad from October 12 to October 16, the second test starts just three days after the culmination of first test.

The test series will be followed by a Five match ODI series four days after the end of the second test. The ODI series is set to begin On October 21 at Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, the second ODI on October 24 will be played at Dr YSR stadium, in Vizag, third ODI will be held on October 27 at MCA stadium in Pune, Fourth ODI will be played on October 29 at prestigious Wankhede Stadium in financial capital of India, Mumbai, Fifth and the final ODI will be played at Green field Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.

Green field Stadium became India’s 50^th International venue last year when it hosted a T20 with Black caps. The teams will then move onto Iconic Eden Garden’s in Kolkata, the same venue where the West Indies team won 2016 T20 World cup to play the first of the three match series on November 4. The second match will be held on November 6 at Lucknow. The tour will come to an end with third T20 International match in MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on November 11.

India vs West Indies – Head to Head Record

Overall India and West Indies have met each other in 94 tests since 1948 in which India has won 18 matches, Lost 30 matches and drawn 46 matches. In ODI’s they fare a bit better as they won 56, lost 61, tied 1 and 2 games washed out in 121 One day Internationals. Coming to shortest version of the game they played 8 games till date of which India won 2 and lost 5 with one game washed out due to rain.

India vs West Indies – Full Tour Schedule

Here’s the India vs West Indies Test schedule

S.No	Date	Test Match	Venue
1.	4-8 October	1st Test	Rajkot
2.	12-16 October	2nd Test	Hyderabad

Here’s India vs West Indies ODI series Schedule

S.No	Date	ODI Match	Venue
1.	21st October	1st ODI	Guwahati
2.	24th October	2nd ODI	Indore
3.	27th October	3rd ODI	Pune
4.	29th October	4th ODI	Mumbai
5.	1st November	5th ODI	Thiruvananthapuram

Here’s the India vs West Indies T20Is schedule

S.No	Date	T20I Match	Venue
1.	4th November	1st T20I	Kolkata
2.	6th November	2nd T20I	Lucknow
3.	11th November	3rd T20I	Chennai

Pitch Reports

First Test – Rajkot : The wicket here is considered as a batsman’s abode. However, with dry dust being the nature of the pitch, we can expect a decent amount of turn from the third day itself which is why three spinners will be an ideal combination on this wicket.

Weather Report – The match days are expected to be a hot affair for both the teams as the day will start with a scorching heat with temperature levels hovering around the 35 degree Celsius mark. Besides, the humidity levels will hit as high as 64 percent with a minimal cloud cover of 7 percent.

Second test – Hyderabad : The wicket here is considered as a flat track, which tends to slow down as the game progresses. This means that the spinners will enjoy bowling here than the pacers. India has won two Tests by an innings against New Zealand and Australia at this venue with the spinners doing most of the damage.

Weather Report – The match days are expected to be a hot affair again as the monsoon season seems to have winded off in the south India. Both the teams will have to survive the scorching heat as the temperature levels are expected to hover around the 40 degree Celsius mark. Besides, the humidity levels will hit as high as 71 percent with a minimal cloud cover of 2 percent.

First ODI – Guwahati : The pitch here is expected to be batsmen friendly along with some assistance to the spinners. Only one international has been held in this venue until now. A T20 match between India and Australia in which Australia defeated India convincingly. This is the first ODI match which is going to be held at this venue.

Second ODI – Vizag : It is generally known for producing batting paradises, where batsmen can play through the line on even-paced wickets. However, in recent times, spinners have made their mark. It is the same ground in which MS Dhoni announced himself on the international stage with an astonishing knock of 149 against Pakistan in 2005. Average first innings score is 277 and in second innings it is reduced to 244 runs.

Third ODI – Pune : The track tends to be a good wicket for batting. However, the spinners are known to play their part as the game progresses and can get it to grip off the surface. Average first innings score is 294 and in second innings it is reduced to 273 runs.

Fourth ODI – Mumbai : The wicket at the Wankhede offers help for both the pacers and spinners. Although the new ball does a bit in limited-overs cricket, the pitch tends to ease out and favour batsmen as the innings progresses. The venue provides great entertainment when it comes to shorter formats of cricket. Average first innings score is 246 and in second innings it is reduced to 211 runs.

Fifth ODI – Thiruvananthapuram : The wicket in green field stadium is expected to be batsmen friendly. With even amount of lively grass on the pitch it is expected to offer true bounce and pace throughout which would aid both batsmen and the bowlers. This is the first ODI to be played in the stadium.

First T20 – Kolkata : The Eden Gardens track is considered as one of the better batting surfaces although spinners tend to come into action as the match wears on. Spinners have enjoyed bowling here in IPL games as well. The highest ODI score by any batsman was made on this ground. Rohit Sharma smashed 264 against Sri Lanka in November, 2014. These days it is also assisting pace bowlers. Average first innings score is 148 and in second innings it is reduced to 128 runs.

Second T20 – Lucknow : It is expected to be pacey and bouncy wicket which assists both pace bowlers and batsmen. This is the first international match to be held in this stadium.

Third T20 – Chennai : The wicket here is historically spin-friendly. Taking a look at the stats gives you a clear indication as to what type of bowlers hold the aces on the Chepauk wicket. Among the top 10 wicket-takers at the ground, nine of them are spinners and the only fast bowler on the list is Kapil Dev. Anil Kumble sits on top of the list with 48 wickets, followed closely by Harbhajan Singh – 42 wickets. Saeed Anwar recorded the highest individual score in ODIs – 194 – at this ground. Average first innings score is 167 and in second innings it is reduced to 166 runs.

Weather Forecast for ODI’s and T20’s

With the departure of southwest monsoon winds from most parts of India the weather is expected to be clear for all the matches. Rain is not expected to play spoil sport in any of the matches. It is expected to be hot and humid throughout the series.

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