After two consecutive defeats, the Hardik Pandya-led side will desperately hope for a remarkable turnaround in its fortunes leading into the third T20I at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Tuesday, August 8. The third T20I also holds a lot of significance for India as their 12-series-long unbeaten streak in the shortest format is seriously under threat.
Billed as the battle of the CPL (Caribbean Premier League) stars versus the IPL (Indian Premier League) stars, the series was expected to witness some nail-biting and high-scoring clashes. While the two games that have been played thus far, have offered quite a lot of drama and excitement for the fans, they have been from being high-scoring affairs.
The first T20I was played at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on a used surface which didn't allow the batters to get off the rails and quite similarly a sluggish surface at the Providence Stadium in Guyana aided the spinners and saw the batters struggle to dictate the tempo of the game as per their choice.
India have not been able to capitalise on the opportunities presented to them by the Windies in the last two fixtures due to which the scoreline of the series reads 2-0 after the conclusion of two games. India's batting order which is considered their strength has looked scratchy and is a part of the reason why the Men in Blue are trailing in the five-match series.
Though far-fetched, this series is a part of the preparatory lead-up to the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA in 2024 and India are trying to prepare themselves for the post-Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli era by auditioning the emerging talent creating ripples in its domestic circuit.
Pitch Report:
The wicket at the Providence Stadium in Guyana for the third T20I is not going to be entirely different as compared to the one that was used in the 2nd T20I. Spin will play a major role in the forthcoming clash too and shotmaking will not be easy either. With the first two fixtures producing arguably low-scoring affairs, the third one might unfold in the same manner.
Weather Forecast:
There will be rain around in the third T20I and that can be a cause of concern for the Hardik Pandya-led side as it looks to land an equalizer. A reduced game will arguably benefit the Rovman Powell-led side as it comprises more batters who can tonk the ball many a mile as compared to India.
Likely Playing XIs:
India
Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan/ Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar
West Indies
Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Johnson Charles (wk), Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell (c), Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy
