IND vs WI: Match Preview – India Tour of West Indies 2022, 3rd T20I

St Kitts will host the third T20I between India and West Indies just a day after hosting the second T20I on August 1. The third T20I will be played on August 3. West Indies won the second T20I by 5 wickets to draw level in the series. The match started late due to some logistical issues but was eventually won by the hosts. Both teams will then leave for Lauderhill in the US for the final two games of the series. 

India and West Indies are treating this five-match series as a dress rehearsal for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The event will be played in Australia and both teams are still trying to fine-tune their combinations. The middle-order seems to be the major concern of both teams as they are still trying players and making them play out of their normal positions. By the end of this series, both teams are looking to get closer to selecting a possible combination. 

IND vs WI: Match Preview – India Tour of West Indies 2022, 3rd T20I

India 

There are reports that India’s Asia Cup and T20 World Cup squad are likely to be the same. Thus this series and the remaining games are very important for a few players. Shreyas Iyer scored a duck in the first T20I, and Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav threw away their good starts. Skipper Rohit Sharma was adamant about players recognising their good starts and capitalising on them. Meanwhile, Indian seamer Harshal Patel has been ruled out of the series due to rib injury.

“I thought the guys executed the plans and really happy with the way the guys bowled. We have to look at some things in our batting. But I will say it again and again, this is the approach we want with the bat. We won’t panic. We won’t change anything after one loss” Rohit said after the second T20I loss. 

India Squad

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh

West Indies 

West Indies have been below par with their bat throughout the ODI series and now in the T20I series as well. The middle-order of Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell failed to perform for their team in a big run-chase in the first T20I. They will be tested throughout the series against a skilful Indian bowling attack with T20I specialists. However, in the second T20I they managed to win the game by five wickets as the batters kept their nerves to take them over the line. 

 “I can finally breathe now. It has been a tough summer for us. We lost a few close games and nearly made a mess of this as well. Obed was fantastic and all the guys just used the pitch and the conditions well. A win is a win. I believe in T20, better batsmen have to bat long” said Pooran hoping to rectify their mistakes ahead in the series. 

West Indies Squad

Kyle Mayers, Shamarh Brooks, Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran(W/C), Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Akeal Hosein, Odean Smith, Keemo Paul, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy, Hayden Walsh, Devon Thomas, Brandon King, Romario Shepherd, Dominic Drakes

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