ODI Series: Game 3
Stadium: Brian Lara Stadium, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies
1st August 2023
West Indies will be facing off against India in the third and final ODI of the Indian tour of West Indies at Brian Lara Stadium, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies. West Indies have had a rough month and a half but they were able to win in the second game of the series to level it at 1-1. Who will win this game?
Claim Your Welcome Bonus!West Indies form
After a series of disappointing performances, the West Indies finally have reason to celebrate as they secured a 6-wicket victory against India in the 2nd ODI. With this win, they now have a chance to achieve their first-ever bilateral ODI series victory against India since 2006.
Brandon King, who had missed out on converting good starts in the previous match, will be eager to make amends in the upcoming game. He will partner with Kyle Mayers at the opening slot. Captain Shai Hope has been leading his team from the front and stands as the leading run-scorer for the hosts in this series. In the last match, he displayed resilience with a gritty half-century and forged an unbeaten partnership of 91 runs with Keacy Carty to guide his team to victory. Alongside this duo, West Indies possesses a strong middle-order batting lineup, boasting players like Alick Athanaze, Shimron Hetmeyer, and Romario Shepherd.
In the bowling department, Romario Shepherd has made significant contributions, picking up 3 wickets in the previous match. He will once again feature in the pace attack, supported by Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales, and Mayers. Gudakesh Motie has been the standout performer with 5 wickets and will lead the spin department, along with Yannic Cariah.
West Indies Lineup
Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Alick Athanaze, Shai Hope (c & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Keacy Carty, Romario Shepherd, Yannic Cariah, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales
India form
India's experimental playing eleven resulted in their first ODI loss against West Indies since 2019. Now, the team needs to regroup and focus on winning the series.
The coach has made it clear that they are unafraid of trying out new combinations as they aim to build the perfect squad ahead of the upcoming World Cup. Ishan Kishan, who has scored consecutive half-centuries, holds the key for India at the top of the batting order.
It is hoped that India will stay committed to their approach and field a young team in the must-win match to assess their capabilities instead of resorting to relying solely on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Kishan is likely to open the batting alongside Shubhman Gill. In the absence of the experienced duo, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the Indian batting lineup struggled and collapsed, posting just 181 runs. Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson, both of whom performed well in the IPL, have not been able to replicate their form in the ODIs, and the same can be said for Gill.
Shardul Thakur has performed well with the new ball, but the absence of their premier pacers weakens the seam attack. However, the spinners have done a commendable job, with Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav securing 8 wickets between them.
India Predicted Lineup
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar
Expert betting tips
Just like in Barbados, the pitch at Trinidad isn’t very easy to bat on. The average first-inning score on this ground is around 235. The fast bowlers will get a good amount of bounce and pace and there will be some movement off the pitch in the first half. However, the surface will gradually get better for the batsmen. The skies are expected to remain overcast and there is a forecast of rain. We expect India to bounce back with a win in this game.