The IND vs WI white-ball matches on the current West Indies tour of India have been high-scoring and yielded chase-friendly results.
In the ODI series, India gunned down 296 in the 42nd over and 406 in the 44th over before the West Indies chased 352 in the 49th.
The India vs West Indies T20I has been no different: in the 1st T20I in Lucknow, India chased 172 in the 15th over, and in the 2nd T20I, West Indies hammered down the target of 250 with nine balls to spare in Ranchi.
The IND vs WI 3rd T20I, set to be played in Indore on Sunday, is expected to be on similar lines: a run-fest with the chasing side having an advantage owing to dew.
IND vs WI: India Likely To Swap Shivam Dube With Nitish Kumar Reddy From The Playing XI For 3rd T20I
India’s bowling attack came under criticism as it failed to defend 250 in Ranchi, and by a comfortable margin. Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy also was questioned because Mayank Yadav, who was India’s best bowler for taking 3 wickets, bowled 3 overs and didn’t get to complete his quota before the visitors achieved the target.
The spinners Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, and Kuldeep Yadav finished with nightmarish figures, and Shivam Dube and Arshdeep Singh had forgettable outings with the ball as well.
Following such a defeat, the Indian team management, headed by Iyer and Gambhir, is expected to make at least one change. That change could affect both the batting and bowling departments, as all-rounder Dube’s place seems under threat.
In Ranchi, Dube was promoted to No. 4 but struggled in the middle, scoring 7 runs off 10 balls. He was the only Indian batsman to have a strike rate of under 100, while all other Indians scored runs at a strike rate of more than 160. With the ball, Dube was expensive, conceding 30 runs in two overs.
India could look towards the other seam-bowling all-rounder in their ranks: Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Reddy was very impressive with the ball in last month’s T20I series against Afghanistan in Delhi. Against Afghanistan, Reddy claimed six wickets in three matches, with two three-wicket hauls. He earned immense praise from Iyer and Gambhir for his bowling show.
Reddy also offers a right-handed option, breaking the string of left-handers in India’s middle-order comprising Kishan, Tilak, and Axar.
Further, given that dew is expected to play a role in Indore, India may also ponder over replacing Dhir with Reddy, although Dhir gives the off-spin option against the likes of Rutherford and Hetmyer so that change may not take place.
India Playing XI For 3rd T20I – Predicted:
Shreyas Iyer (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy/Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav
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