India vs Windies, 3rd ODI Preview: Ruthless hosts and the rampant visitors lock horns in an all-important clash

The iconic pace duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah will be back in the XI, giving the hosts a stern edge ahead of the game.

Published - 26 Oct 2018, 20:49 IST | Updated - 26 Oct 2018, 20:49 IST

3 Min Read

Although both India and the Windies have played some great cricket in this ODI series, only one man has hogged all the limelight with his stellar batting performances. Indian skipper Virat Kohli is in an astronomical form and after registering scores of 140 and 157* in the first two ODIs, one can only wonder what more can he do to beat the class of those innings.

The Windies though didn’t shy away from attacking the Indian bowlers and reaped equivalent rewards. Shimron Hetmyer has been the pick of the Caribbean cricketers in the first two games, registering a hundred in the first and missing out on another by a whisker in the second. Jason Holder’s men are proving a point that they can be on level terms with anyone in limited-overs cricket.

After that pulsating game at Vishakapatnam where no team eventually got over the line, Pune is all set for the third encounter between the sides. No less rapture and thrill is expected from this match and a win can liven up the Windies camp big time.

Playing combinations

India

Two among the impeccable top 3 is the heart and soul of this Indian side Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli all in staggering form Shikhar Dhawan is long due now and should not be a surprise if he stands out this time. Ambati Rayudu chipped in with a crucial knock at number 4 and he will continue in that position. MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja will follow in the lower middle order.

The iconic pace duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah will be back in the XI, giving the hosts a stern edge ahead of the game. Their comeback will solve the death overs problem big time for Kohli. Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal will be the three spin bowling options for the game.

Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (C), Ambati Rayudu, Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah

Windies

The openers Chandrapaul Hemraj and Kieran Powell still seem a little rusty and still are in the process of acclimatization. They need to get some runs to avoid the burden falling on Hetmyer, Hope and Samuels in the middle order. Rovman Powell, Jason Holder and Ashley Nurse will be playing the finisher’s role in the side.

The Caribbean bowlers are just not hitting the right areas in the final few overs, eventually conceding too many runs. Kemar Roach and Holder will be keen to give their side a good start with the new ball and the impressive youngster Obed McCoy will bowl a lot of overs in the middle stage. Devendra Bishoo and Ashley Nurse will be the spinning options for Kohli.

Predicted XI: Chandrapaul Hemraj, Kieran Powell, Shai Hope (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Marlon Samuels, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder (C), Ashley Nurse, Obed McCoy, Devendra Bishoo, Kemar Roach

Focus will be on

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India)

Bhuvneshwar easily qualifies as one of the finest bowlers of this generation and the class of this Meerut pacer is just escalating. His addition to the side will bring a huge smile on Virat Kohli’s face, who clearly rated Bhuvi as a pivotal cog in the unit. With the World Cup fast approaching, the 28-year-old will try to pick as many wickets as possible in the remaining few games.

Shimron Hetmyer (Windies)

With two outstanding knocks in the first two ODIs, Hetmyer will now hog some spotlight before the game begins. This is the kind of attention which makes or breaks a cricketer’s career as not everyone is capable of dealing with such high expectations. The southpaw has a lot of Caribbean flavour in his batting and if he gets going, no matter who the crowd will support, they will have fun.