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We were so close to having a series decider as the West Indies came mighty close to winning the 2nd T20I with the help of their Vice-captain Nicholas Pooran and hard-hitter and Rovman Powell. However, it was the Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar who stamped authority with his experienced and level-headed bowling by bowling an excellent penultimate over, giving away just 4 runs, and sealing the match in India's favor. 

Although the visitors ended up on the losing side, they have made their intentions clear and the players are definitely a huge force to watch out for in the upcoming days.

ā€œHe (Powell) was hitting bullets. At the back of my mind, I was happy as well as Powell will be playing for Delhi Capitals,"

-Rishabh Pant

With the Indians now taking an impeccable lead in the series, once again the 3rd match of the series stands to be a dead rubber. However, for the Windies, a win here will be a lot more than just a consolation as they wouldn't want to go back home empty-handed. From what we saw in the last match, the Windies, if they manage to play with the same vigor can definitely get the better of the hosts. 

With the former skipper Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant given a break from the bio-bubble, can West Indies utilize their absence? Or will Rohit Sharma continue to lead his troops to another white-wash?

Match timings

Match Toss Time: 18:30 IST (13:00 GMT)

Match Start Time: 19:00 IST (13:30 GMT)

Match Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Head to head

Matches Played: 19, India: 12, West Indies 6: 15, N/R: 1

Weather conditions and pitch

IND vs WI pitch weather

Team News

For team India, we expect quite a few changes given the series is already sealed in their favor, they will be looking forward to testing their bench strength. The absence of Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant is likely to clear the path for young opener Ruturaj Gaikwad. Shreyas Iyer in place of Virat Kohli and Avesh Khan replacing Bhuvneshwar Kumar, look like the likely changes. 

West Indies will be more than happy to feature the same combination as the players did do an excellent job in the 2nd T20I.

Probable playing Xl

India (IND): Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi

West Indies (WI): Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Rovman Powell, Kieron Pollard (c), Jason Holder, Odean Smith, Roston Chase, Akeal Hosein, Romario Shepherd, Sheldon Cottrell

Must-picks

Indian opener and skipper, Rohit Sharma has been in good form and he is setting a great example on how to go about the powerplay, we expect the 34-year old along with the West Indies wicket-keeper Nicholas Pooran to pile on the fantasy points.

After Rovmanā€™s innings in the 2nd T20I, he is a likely contender of the no.4 position and that would mean he gets a decent number of overs to play with. Yes, Ishan Kishan has been struggling against the left-armer, Sheldon Cottrell, but the inclusion of Ruturaj Gaikwad might see Ishan play at the no.3 position and it would mean revitalization for the youngster.

IND vs WI fantasy team

IND vs WI fantasy team
Cricwizz fantasy team

Captain and Vice-captain picks

Nicholas Pooran Rohit Sharma IND vs WI fantasy team
Nicholas Pooran (C) and Rohit Sharma (Vc)

Prediction

As expected the 2nd T20I went down the wire and we expect the 3rd T20I to be no different. There is nothing much to criticize about the visitorā€™s gameplay and the only area which they will have to work on is their middle-overs bowling, where they have been leaking runs except for the spinners. It surely is the battle of the spinners if you see it below the surface level. There is no depth in the Indian batting line-up but the players have been reluctant to give away their wickets.

Cricwizz predicts India to win the 3rd T20I and white-wash the West Indies, 3-0.

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