IND vs WI 2026: Why is Ravindra Jadeja not playing in the 3rd ODI?
Indian captain Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to bat.
Veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been left out of India's playing XI for the third ODI against West Indies on Saturday, October 3. Shubman Gill and the team management have decided to bring back Nitish Kumar Reddy for the clash at the New Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mullanpur.
IND vs WI 2026: Toss Update
Indian captain Shubman Gill won the toss and decided to bat first. He said the New Chandigarh pitch is a brilliant surface to bat on and backed his bowlers to improve on their plans on the road to the World Cup. West Indies captain Shai Hope said he would have preferred to bowl first, and emphasised his side's need to build on the positives with the bat, but be more clinical with the ball.
IND vs WI 2026: Why has Ravindra Jadeja been benched?
With the pitch at the New Chandigarh Stadium expected to favour the seam bowlers under the lights, Jadeja's exclusion comes in favour of Nitish Kumar Reddy, who offers a reliable seam bowling option.
Reddy will be part of India's pace battery alongside Gurnoor Brar, the returning Mohammed Siraj and the debutant Anshul Kamboj. The West Indies side sees the return of Matthew Forde, Jewel Andrew and Gudakesh Motie.
IND vs WI 2026: What did the captains say?
Shubman Gill, India captain, said:
"We are going to bat first. Ah, beautiful surface. it's going to be a really good wicket to bat on. There will be some movement early on for the seamers with the new ball. Our batting has been really good so far in the series. I think our bowling has been a concern a bit at times. I think it's important for us to take the learnings from the last game and see if we can save 15-20 runs, which will make a huge difference. Yeah, the more we play we will get to know the squad better. Our bowling line-up has been a bit inexperienced. The more they play together, it's going to make a huge difference for us."
Shai Hope, West Indies captain, said:
"Yes, we would have bowled first this time around. We just want to be consistent with the bat. We have batted really well so far in the series. We want to be better with the ball. We want to execute our plans better. We have to look at the positives and then find a way to get results. Yeah, it has been pretty good. When you come to India, you know you are playing against the best team in the world. They really embraced it. They are really up for the fight. Good to see that they are learning a lot in this short space of time. So, hopefully they can continue to grow as a strong cricketer. Yeah, we have got 3 changes. Again, I am not going to run my head around. You guys will see it shortly."
IND vs WI 2026: Playing XIs
India
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (wk), Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
West Indies
John Campbell, Jewel Andrew, Shai Hope (c/wk), Amir Jangoo, Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Vitel Lawes, Jayden Seales
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