Deadline: December 8, 2019 at 7 PM IST
Venue: Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram
Pitch Report
The pitch looks nice and hard. The pacers will find some purchase, but the batsmen are likely to have more fun. Expect runs to come thick and fast.
Teams
India benched Manish Pandey despite his spectacular form in the domestic circuit. However, they will have only five bowlers at their disposal if they add Pandey in the mix. It will be interesting to see India’s game plan on Sunday.
Probable XI for India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal
After a long time in T20Is, West Indies put up a collective batting performance. Barring Lendl Simmons, all batsmen added significant contributions. That being said, they will need to work on their bowling.
Probable XI for West Indies: Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Brandon King, Shimron Hetmyer, Kieron Pollard (c), Jason Holder, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Khary Pierre, Hayden Walsh, Sheldon Cottrell, Kesrick Williams
Players To Watch Out For
Shimron Hetmyer’s record against spinners in India is ordinary across formats. The way he batted on Friday showed that he was mindful of his past mistakes and hence took on them only when the ball was in the slot. The result was a spectacular innings of 56 runs including 4 sixes. Before he took the crease, Evin Lewis and Brandon King had laid a solid foundation with 71 runs between them. Kieron Pollard then added finishing touches with a 19-ball 37.
Deepak Chahar would have added 2 more wickets to his tally had India held on to the catches. Otherwise, he had a forgettable day, finishing with figures of 1 for 56.
Yuzvendra Chahal staged a remarkable comeback after going for plenty in his first spell. He dismissed the well-set Shimron Hetmyer and Kieron Pollard in his last over.
Virat Kohli will always be the top player to watch out for in any match he plays. Need we say more?
KL Rahul has long been warming the benches, playing the backup opener’s role. He gets a nod only when either Rohit Sharma or Shikhar Dhawan gets injured. On Friday, he looked like a man on a mission. It was his half-century that laid the foundation for his captain.
Match Prediction
The loss at Hyderabad was West Indies’ 28th in the last 39 T20Is, and to make matters worse, the series is on the line for them. The result looked in their favour until India’s 10 overs. However, they threw in the towel once Virat Kohli launched an onslaught. If they are to keep the series alive, they have to make sure they do not succumb to pressure. Otherwise, they displayed a stunning batting show.
