India vs West Indies is like a friendly "war" between two teams – players who know each other really well, and enjoy each other's company outside the field.
When it comes to matters on the field, however, there will be no quarters given or asked which is pretty much going to be the case when India vs West Indies takes the spotlight in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 on Friday.
After winning their first three games, as comfortably as they could have hoped for, India will hope their honeymoon at the ICC World Cup continues at the WACA on Friday.
Last Saturday, they thumped UAE, bowling them out for little to nothing before chasing down the runs with nine wickets to spare, and having stopped Pakistan and South Africa before that, they will hope for a similar performance against the "don't know what you are going to get" West Indies.
"In terms of approach or preparation towards the game it is going to be the same because we are prepared for every other team the way we have prepared for the big teams," said India off=s[inner R Ashwin said. "It is not going to be very different and I am pretty confident about executing our skills."
The great thing about India's performances at this World Cup has been their all-round performance. While the batting has been brilliant, it is the bowling that has stood out and as long as the bowling continues in the same vein, India will be a pretty difficult team to stop.
If there is one team that can trip them up, though, is the West Indies as they have the ability to dent India with both bat and ball.
Starting with Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith, they have a large number of hitters capable of walloping any bowling, while their bowlers, especially the ones with the new ball, have the ability to run down any batting lineup.
Therefore, India will be quite aware of the challenge that awaits them come Friday in what is expected to be a packed WACA.
West Indies have blown hot and cold in this CWC, losing to Ireland first up, before finding their groove against Pakistan and Zimbabwe in some style. However, that style was shot down pretty quickly by South Africa in their last game, and West Indies will know they face a side of similar capabilities in India.
"They have good players who are in form," said West Indies captain Jason Holder. "Virat has been phenomenal for them over the last few years. They have Shikhar Dhawan who has been in some form, and then you have players like Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni.
"But, cricket is played on a day, and I back my bowlers to execute their plans, putting them back and setting them on the back-foot. We have planned for them and we are just looking to execute our plans."
Where to Watch Live
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The India vs West Indies game will begin at 2.30 pm local time (12 pm IST, 6.30 am GMT) with live coverage in India on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 3 (including the two HD ones), Asianet Movies, and Suvarna Channel. The match can also be watched via live streaming online on the Starsports website and Starsports LivePro.
Audience in the UK can watch the game live on Sky Sports and Sky Go, while viewers in the US can do the same on ESPN and ESPN Cricket. Catch the match live in the Middle East and North Africa on OSN and OSN Play. Europe viewers can watch India face West Indies live on Eurosport or Eurosport Player.
Viewers in New Zealand can watch the match live on Sky TV or live stream the action on Sky Go NZ, while Australia viewers will be able to catch all the match action live on Channel 9 and Fox Sports. The match can also be live streamed in the territory on Cricket Australia Live and Foxtel.
