India might want to test their bench strength in the third ODI on Wednesday as they have already secured the three-match series against West Indies. At the Queen’s Park Oval, the hosts would be desperate to prevent a whitewash and salvage a win from a match that seems like a dead rubber.
In the 2nd ODI, India managed to snatch a victory out of the jaws of the Windies after chasing a huge target of 312 runs with just two balls to spare.
Batting first, the Caribbean side was at ease against the Indian bowlers who lacked the spunk in their attack. Opener Shai Hope smashed a century in his 100th ODI (115 off 135) while skipper Nicholas Pooran played a blistering knock of 74 runs to propel the hosts to 311 runs.
Chasing a stiff total, India lost early wickets and were in a slump before Shreyas Iyer (63 off 71) and Sanju Samson (54 off 51) steadied the ship. The duo smashed half-centuries and got the men in blue back in the game. However, all-rounder Axar Patel was the real star of the match as he obliterated the West Indies bowlers and smashed the second fastest ODI fifty by an Indian batter. He remained unbeaten and guided India to a terrific win at the Port of Spain.
The two sides will play five T20I matches after the ODI series concludes on Wednesday.
Weather report
The weather for India vs West Indies Third ODI match seems partially overcast for July 27. The temperature in Port of Spain will be below 30 degrees Celsius and there is no rainfall expected throughout the course of the match. The wind speed is expected to be 17 km/h and the rate of precipitation is 1.5 percent.
Pitch Report
The third ODI will also be played at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain. The previous two matches have proved to be a batting-friendly surface and it is expected to be the same in the final fixture. Batters will get the benefit on a flat pitch as the bounce remains constant and the outfield is quick as well. Pacers might get some help in the second half of the game, while spinners will prove to be crucial in the middle overs. Both the teams will want to chase after the winning toss on a belter of a surface.
India (IND) vs West Indies (WI) Possible Starting XI:
India Predicted Starting Line-up: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
West Indies Predicted Starting Line-up: Nicholas Pooran (c), Kyle Mayers, Shai Hope (wk), Shamrah Brooks, Brandon King, Rovman Powell, Akeal Hosein, Romario Shepherd, Alzarri Joseph, Hayden Walsh, Jayden Seales
Get all the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here