West Indies ran in close to winning the second T20I yesterday. They started well and controlled the middle phrase of the innings better than the ODI series and the last T20I. But they lacked the finishing kick because it was a great spell in the death overs bowling from the experienced pace bowler, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Rovman Powell and Nicolas Pooran batted exceptionally well in the run chase of 186 runs. West Indies will need them to show their class once again if they are aiming to end the Indian tour on high. The visitors have lost all the matches in the fifty overs series before. To avoid another whitewash in their most preferred format, West Indies should bat out of their skins.
The West Indies bowling did well until the Pant and Iyer partnership got going. India was placed at 106 for 4 when Pant and Venkatesh got in the action. The home side had just lost Virat Kohli for a well-made fifty. West Indies should have dented the Indian innings more, and they shouldn’t have allowed Pant and V Iyer to settle. The Indian batters were in the counter-attacking mode and took the game away from the visitors.
West Indies need more bowling options. They shouldn’t have dropped Fabian Allen because he could have provided outstanding support to Roston Chase, who again bowled well in the second T20I match. West Indies can include Allen for the last T20I instead of Akkeal Hossain.
The visitors can also look at Dominic Drakes. He deserves a chance instead of warming the bench. The Windies will have to look for options for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022. The two time T20 World Cup Champions will need pace bowlers who could make an impact in that ICC tournament.
India won the T20I series because they batted well, especially Pant, Kohli, and Venkatesh Iyer. But the problem still looms on Ishan Kishan’s form. The MI opener hasn’t looked that dangerous still. But India can rest him for the last T20I and pick Ruturaj Gaikwad as the opening partner of Rohit Sharma in the final T20I match.
Virat Kohli got some crucial runs, and so as Rishabh Pant. The two Delhi boys scored vital half-centuries, which allowed India to be in the game. India can rest Virat and include Shreyas Iyer, who didn’t get any chances. Iyer will captain the KKR side in the upcoming season of the IPL 2022. So it would be good if he bats well in front of his home crowd before the 15th edition of the IPL starts.
Ravi Bhisnoi and Yuzvendra Chahal played well as the spin duos of the Indian Team. But now India has a chance of playing KULCHA (Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal) together in the last T20I, and they can rest Bishnoi. Avesh Khan and Mohammad Siraj also might replace Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chachar. India needs more options for the World T20 tournament in 2022.
Match Details –
Match – India Vs West Indies 3rd T20I
Venue – Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Day/Date – Sunday, 20th February 2022.
Timings – 7 PM IST and 1.30 PM GMT
Toss Time – 6.30 PM IST and 1 PM GMT.
TV channels – Star Sports India Networks.
Live Streaming – Disney Plus Hotstar, Fan Code, Amazon Mini TV, Vodafone TV, JIO TV, Live Cricket App, Live Ten Sports App.
India Vs West Indies 2022: 3rd T20I Match – Pitch Report
The pitch at Eden Gardens in Kolkata will be good for pacers and spinners early on in the 1st innings, and then the dew factor plays a role that makes life difficult for the bowlers. The team who wins the toss should bowl first.
India Vs West Indies 2022: 3rd T20I Match – Weather Report
The climate is much suited to play a good game of cricket, and the match will not have any rain interruptions.
India Vs West Indies 2022: 3rd T20I at Match – India’s probable Playing XI
Rohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Venkatesh Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Harshal Patel, Ravi Bhisnoi/Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Siraj, and Avesh Khan.
India Vs West Indies 2022: 3rd T20I Match – West Indies Probable Playing XI
Brandon King, Kayer Mayers/Shai Hope, Darren Bravo, Jason Holder, Kieron Pollard, Roston Chase, Odean Smith, Fabian Allen, Romario Shepard, Dominic Drakes, and Sheldon Cottrell.
India Vs West Indies 2022: 3rd T20I Match – Head to Head Stats
Overall Figures –
- 19 Matches
- India won – 12
- West Indies won – 6
In Eden Gardens Kolkata –
- Matches -3
- India – 3
- West Indies – 0
India Vs West Indies 2022: 3rd T20I Match – Fantasy Batsmen
Nicholas Pooran – The Wicketkeeper-batsman batted well in two back-to-back T20Is. West Indies needs Pooran in his full flow in the 3rd T20I match of the series. Pooran can be the destructive player in the middle order. Now he needs to carry his good form to get Windies a consolation win.
Rishabh Pant – The WK batter from India was in a counter-attacking mode in the second game, which allowed the hosts to get to a good score in the end. Pant can be considered a finisher in the limited-overs formats after MS Dhoni. He has these qualities in him. But he needs to be consistent like Mahi Bhai was in his heydays. Pant is again expected to repeat his cracking innings on Sunday.
India Vs West Indies 2022: 3rd T20I Match – Fantasy Bowlers
Yuzvendra Chahal – Chahal is back with his usual wicket-taking ability. He had a flop show in South Africa. But against the Windies in the ODIs and two T20I matches, Chahal has been the man who has got India the breakthroughs when the team needed it the most. India will be keen to play KULCHA (Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal) together and see how things pan out in the last T20I match.
Roston Chase – The spin bowling all-rounder did well with the ball in the two T20Is so far. He has been accurate with his line and length. He was also more economical than the other West Indian bowlers. Roston Chase in the middle overs is a good option to have in any team. Chase will be a helpful bowler on such a surface like the Eden Gardens which is offering some turn.
India Vs West Indies 2022: 3rd T20I Match – Fantasy Team
Batters – Nicholas Pooran, Rohit Sharma, and Rovman Powell.
Bowler –Yuzvendra Chahal Roston Chase, and Harshal Patel
All-rounders – Jason Holder and Shardul Thakur.
Wicketkeeper – Rishabh Pant.
Vice-Captain – Ishan Kishan
Captain – Jason Holder
Predictions –
India will clean sweep the West Indes in the shortest format series. India also won the ODI series by a 3-0 margin earlier.
