With three T20Is left and a 2-0 lead over India, West Indies has a chance to defeat India and claim their first series victory of two or more games since 2016.
The opportunity exists for them to win consecutive T20I series for the first time since 2017. In less than a year, West Indies will co-host a T20 World Cup, so if they are successful, it will give them a huge confidence boost.
Their ability to handle India’s spinners, as they did admirably in the first two games, may once again determine whether they can win the series on Tuesday.
Nicholas Pooran, who along with Shimron Hetmyer was assigned to take on India’s wrist spinners, has been at the forefront of their success. Leading the counterattacks on both occasions, Pooran did a fantastic job. On wickets that have been two-paced, the bowlers have also been precise in their performance by switching things up.
West Indies has also fared well in the game of nerves thus far. While their bowlers ended the series opener on Thursday, their batters did the same in the second game after the squad had lost four wickets for three runs in a time frame of 13 balls.
West Indies will be expecting more runs from their top three despite the fact that players like Rovman Powell and Hetmyer have helped Pooran with the bat.
The majority of India’s batting struggles have occurred. With the exception of Tilak Varma, their top and middle order, while their long tail has been a problem, have failed to get going on the sluggish surfaces.
Despite the defeats, Hardik Pandya, the captain of India, has radiated a cool-guy attitude. After their defeat on Sunday, he very stoically remarked, “It is what it is. While he’s regained his bowling groove, his batting hasn’t quite reached its typical level, and he’s come under fire for his on-field strategy.
Despite the fact that Pooran, a left-handed batsman in good form, was in the middle of the order for the first T20I, Hardik gave Axar Patel the final over of the powerplay, which cost 14 runs. During a thrilling chase in the second T20I, when West Indies’ bottom order was having trouble, Hardik did not dismiss his finest bowler, Yuzvendra Chahal.
The continual presence of left-handers at the crease also forced Axar, who had been taken for 22 runs in two overs in the first T20I, to play exclusively as a batsman in the second T20I.
Kyle Mayers had a fantastic IPL season, but he hasn’t been able to maintain that level of play for West Indies. He made 1 and 15 in the first two T20Is after a lackluster ODI series.
His T20I average right now is 20.75. Despite this, West Indies has maintained their faith in him, and he will aim to contribute frequently in the top order, which has been one of the team’s weak points in this series.
Will India give Yashasvi Jaiswal a chance to stretch their batting? They might replace Ishan Kishan, who has a 12.12 average in eight T20Is since the beginning of the year, with him given that Sanju Samson is another option for wicketkeeping.
If Kuldeep Yadav is well, India might also wish to bring back the player who was out for the second T20I after being struck in the nets. He was replaced by Ravi Bishnoi, who was wicketless for 31 runs.
The playing surface for the second T20I at Providence Stadium was slow, and it is likely to stay that way. Spin and slower balls should once again have the upper hand. A probability of rain in the afternoon is predicted for the gloomy weather.
West Indies (probable): 1 Brandon King, 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Johnson Charles (wk), 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Rovman Powell (capt), 7 Jason Holder, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Obed McCoy
India (probable): 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Ishan Kishan/ Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Sanju Samson (wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Mukesh Kumar