3rd ODI preview - Shikhar Dhawan the key, India eye series win vs West Indies

Shikhar Dhawan has failed to fire in his comeback during the current tour of the West Indies as India will be determined to seal the ODI series after their 3-0 win in Twenty20 International series.

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Siddharth Vishwanathan
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3rd ODI preview - Shikhar Dhawan the key, India eye series win vs West Indies

India will be hoping Shikhar Dhawan as they look to seal the series against West Indies in the third ODI at Port of Spain. (Image credit: Shikhar Dhawan Twitter)

Shikhar Dhawan would be desperate for a big knock after four consecutive failures as India eye another series victory when they clash with the West Indies in the third and final ODI at Port of Spain on Wednesday. With scores of 1, 23, 3 in the Twenty series and single-digit score of 2 in the second ODI, Dhawan's comeback post injury has been far from ideal. Troubled by in-coming deliveries, twice Dhawan lost his wicket to pacer Sheldon Cottrell.  Since Dhawan is not part of the Test squad, the Delhi left-hander would like to finish the Caribbean assignment on a high. 

West Indies, on the other hand, would be desperate to save the series with a win. But for that to happen, West Indies' batting unit will have to take more responsibility. It's time talents like Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran rise up to the occasion for West Indies cricket to thrive. The match at the Queen's Park Oval could see the final international match for Chris Gayle in the Caribbean. Windies would be hoping to give the Universe Boss a potentially fitting farewell by squaring the series.

Team Combination

India

 Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the key in India's win and Virat Kohli will be happy with the way Shreyas Iyer batted. The ODI offers Rishabh Pant one more chance to showcase his batting prowess while the team might be tempted to replace Khaleel Ahmed or Mohammed Shami with Navdeep Saini

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, K Khaleel Ahmed/Navdeep Saini

West Indies

West Indies might not tinker with their combination much. With the game in Guyana being abandoned after just 13 overs, West Indies might not want to make any changes. They will be hoping that Chris Gayle will fire on his 300th ODI and there will be an added bonus of breaking Brian Lara's record of most runs for West Indies and that too on his home ground.

Probable XI: Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Shai Hope(w), Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Roston Chase, Jason Holder(c), Carlos Brathwaite, Oshane Thomas, Sheldon Cottrell, Kemar Roach

Who will win? 

The Indian cricket team know how to win the big moments as compared to the West Indies team. Be it in the bowling or batting, India hold an edge against the Windies.

Weather and Pitch

The chances of rain for the third ODI is 30 percent at Port of Spain. The forecast for the second ODI was 10 percent and even that resulted in a delay of more than one hour. 

Stadium and Timings

The encounter will take place at Port of Spain Trinidad at 07:00 pm IST local.

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HIGHLIGHTS

  • Virat Kohli scored his 42nd century in ODIs in previous match.
  • India last lost an ODI series to West Indies in 2006.
  • The first match of the three-match series was abandoned in Guyana.
Virat Kohli India National Cricket Team Shreyas Iyer Shikhar Dhawan West Indies Vs India 2019