Rohit Sharma’s Indian cricket team have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series against the West Indies and they will be aiming for a whitewash.
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Rohit Sharma’s Indian cricket team chose to bat against the West Indies in the third and final ODI at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. India has already taken a 2-0 lead in the three-match series and they will be gunning for a whitewash. Rohit Sharma decided to bring back Shikhar Dhawan into the team. The left-hander missed the first two matches due to COVID-19.
There were a decent amount of changes in the Indian side as they looked to build upon their bench strength. Kuldeep Yadav and Shreyas Iyer were included in the side while KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda sat out. Iyer had also missed the first two games due to coronavirus. Kuldeep Yadav, on the other hand, will be playing his first international game after nearly six months.
Read – Prasidh Krishna speak on 4/12 haul against the West Indies
West Indies, on the other hand, also made changes as they looked to fight for pride. The loss in Ahmedabad was West Indies’ 11th consecutive bilateral series loss against India starting from 2007. Prasidh Krishna was the star with 4/12 in the previous ODI and he will once again be aiming to put on a good show.
There are concerns about Virat Kohli as his ‘lean patch’ is now nearing three years in ODI cricket. Kohli has not scored a century in any format since November 2019. Against the West Indies, he has shown glimpses of his good form but has been dismissed cheaply. In his 100th ODI at home on Wednesday, Virat Kohli hit some good shots on his way to 18. But he was sent back by Odean Smith.
With Dhawan back in the line-up, Rishabh Pant might go down to No.5 in the batting. Rohit sprang a surprise in the second match as opened with Pant due to the left-hander and right-hander combination. Apart from Dhawan and Kuldeep, Deepak Chahar has come in for Shardul Thakur. Yuzvendra Chahal was also rested, which means that the ‘Kulcha’ duo has not been united since 2019. After the end of the ODI series, India will play three Twenty20 Internationals in Kolkata starting on February 16. After the end of the West Indies series, India will play Sri Lanka in three T20Is and two Tests.
India playing 11: Rohit Sharma(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant(w), Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
West Indies playing 11: Shai Hope(w), Brandon King, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Nicholas Pooran(c), Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Odean Smith, Alzarri Joseph, Hayden Walsh, Kemar Roach
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