The third and final T20I between India and West Indies at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai is basically a dead rubber clash. Hosts India have been clinical in this series having won both of the previous games by comprehensive margins. While they recorded a 5 wicket victory in the first T20I at Kolkata, skipper Rohit Sharma's unbeaten 111 propelled them to a 71-run victory at Mumbai. However, the Caribbean nation would want to salvage some pride in the final encounter even though the series is lost.
India have also rested three of their key bowlers in Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Umesh Yadav for this match in order to keep them fit for the upcoming tour of Australia. That is a big relief for the visitors as Bumrah and Kuldeep have tormented them throughout the series. With the duo not featuring in the match, the Windies will hope that their batsmen can finally fire with the bat.
Having already won the series, India might want to make some experiments in this match. The likes of Shreyas Iyer and Washington Sundar might get a game. Siddharth Kaul is expected to start in Bumrah's slot in the XI as well.
As far as the Windies are concerned, they might make a couple of changes as well. They could consider bringing in Rovman Powell, who was dropped in the second T20I, in place of Khary Pierre or Nicholas Pooran. The 20-year old Sherfane Rutherford might well get his first game of the
The third and final T20I between India and West Indies at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai is basically a dead rubber clash. Hosts India have been clinical in this series having won both of the previous games by comprehensive margins. While they recorded a 5 wicket victory in the first T20I at Kolkata, skipper Rohit Sharma's unbeaten 111 propelled them to a 71-run victory at Mumbai. However, the Caribbean nation would want to salvage some pride in the final encounter even though the series is lost.
India have also rested three of their key bowlers in Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Umesh Yadav for this match in order to keep them fit for the upcoming tour of Australia. That is a big relief for the visitors as Bumrah and Kuldeep have tormented them throughout the series. With the duo not featuring in the match, the Windies will hope that their batsmen can finally fire with the bat.
Having already won the series, India might want to make some experiments in this match. The likes of Shreyas Iyer and Washington Sundar might get a game. Siddharth Kaul is expected to start in Bumrah's slot in the XI as well.
As far as the Windies are concerned, they might make a couple of changes as well. They could consider bringing in Rovman Powell, who was dropped in the second T20I, in place of Khary Pierre or Nicholas Pooran. The 20-year old Sherfane Rutherford might well get his first game of the series in place of either of the misfiring batsmen.
Weather Conditions: Mostly Sunny. No chance of rain.
Pitch conditions: Hard, dry and bereft of grass. Good for batsmen. Fast outfield as well. High scoring encounter expected.
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Wicket-keeper: Dinesh Karthik
There aren't any good wicket-keeping options in both sides considering the position they bat in. Both of Dinesh Karthik and Denesh Ramdin bat lower down in the middle order. Since Ramdin hasn't been in good form with the bat in the entire series, it is better to have Karthik as the keeper. He played an unbeaten knock of 23 runs in the first match and drove India home. He may come good in situations of crisis and you can always expect him to score points through catches and stumpings, considering the superiority of the Indian spinners.
Batsman: Rohit Sharma
The Indian skipper has hardly put a foot wrong this year and he showed that once again in the previous game when he smashed his way to an unbeaten 111. With the pitch at Chennai expected to aid the batsmen well, you can expect another masterclass of an innings from Rohit Sharma.
All-rounder: Krunal Pandya
The Indian all-rounder has already proven his worth in the first two T20Is. He returned with all round figures of 1/15 with the ball and unbeaten 21 with the bat at Kolkata. And then, he followed it up with another superb spell of 4-0-23-0 at Mumbai. His role will be crucial once again at Chennai and expect him to score points with both bat and ball.
Bowler: Yuzvendra Chahal
With Kuldeep Yadav being rested, Chahal will shoulder the responsibility of controlling the middle overs. His wicket-taking prowess during the middle overs will be very crucial for the Indian team as it does not give the opposition any chance to build on to their start at all.
Captain: Krunal Pandya
Vice-captain: Rohit Sharma
