IND vs WI, 3rd T20I: Preview, stats, and Fantasy XI
India face West Indies in the third T20I on Sunday at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. India have already taken a 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Notably, India have allowed Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant to leave the bio-bubble as they could also be rested for the upcoming T20Is versus Sri Lanka. India will be testing their bench in the third encounter.
India to test new faces
As per Cricbuzz, the decision to release Kohli and Pant was taken by the team management and BCCI as there are sufficient number of players in the squad. Deepak Hooda could replace Venkatesh Iyer, who impressed on Friday. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shreyas Iyer are likely to get game time. India might also bring in Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, and Mohammed Siraj.
Why does this story matter?
India have already sealed the deal against West Indies and the idea now will be to see how the unused players fare in the remaining match. On Friday, India sealed their 100th T20I win (97 wins + 3 Tied(+wins). They also clinched a sixth consecutive bi-lateral T20I series win at home. Meanwhile, the Windies remain winless in their tour of India so far.
Can WI finish strongly?
WI have lost all five games in the ongoing tour of India. After surrendering the ODIs 0-3, the Windies have also let the T20I series slip by. The main positive for WI is the performance of Nicholas Pooran. The southpaw smashed two consecutive half-centuries in the ongoing T20Is. Kieron Pollard will hope his side can overcome a much changed Indian line-up on Sunday.
Pitch report, timing and TV listing
The Eden Gardens pitch will have something for everybody. Batters will enjoy themselves here and dew factor could play a role. The bowlers will need to bowl in the right areas and mix things up. The match will start at 7:00 PM IST. One can watch the match live on Star Sports Network and stream the same on Hotstar app (paid subscription).
Probable playing XI of both the sides
Team India probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Avesh Khan West Indies probable XI: Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Roston Chase, Rovman Powell, Kieron Pollard (c), Jason Holder, Odean Smith, Akeal Hosein, Romario Shepherd, Sheldon Cottrell
Records that can be achieved
Rohit has 3,256 runs in T20Is and can become the top scorer by surpassing Virat Kohli (3,296) and Martin Guptill (3,299). Kieron Pollard needs 36 more to reach a mark of 1,600 runs in T20Is (1,564). The in-form Pooran (1,132) can surpass the likes of Kevin Pietersen (1,176) and Yuvraj Singh (1,177) in terms of runs.
Here's the H2H record
The two teams have faced each other on 19 occasions in T20Is to date. India have won 12 matches. West Indies have pocketed six matches. One match didn't have a result. Notably, India have won 10 of the last 11 T20Is versus WI.
Decoding the best Dream11 team
Fantasy Dream11 team: Rohit Sharma (vc), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rovman Powell, Nicholas Pooran (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Kieron Pollard, Ravi Bishnoi, Odean Smith, Shardul Thakur, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd
