A ruthless Indian team is unlikely to find its footing as they aim to clinch a world record win with another clean sweep against West Indies on Wednesday.
India on Sunday created a world record, the most against a team, by winning their 12th consecutive series in the ODI format against the West Indies.
Against this backdrop, head coach Rahul Dravid may be tempted to try out some of his reserve players, but he has to strike a fine balance between keeping pace and testing his bench strength.
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Ruturaj Gaikwad is unlikely to be preferred over Shubman Gill in the batting department, who would not want to sit out after two innings of 64 and 43.
Gaikwad had a full South Africa series where he looked clearly uneasy against quality pace. While his IPL credentials have kept him in the mix, the chances of the Indian cricket establishment investing in him on a short-term basis look slim.
Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson have also hit the straps with half-centuries in the previous game and Suryakumar Yadav is not expected to cool his heels at the expense of Ishan Kishan despite twin failures in the first two games.
Ravindra Jadeja was the first-choice all-rounder in this series as the designated vice-captain, before he was ruled out of the first two matches due to a knee injury.
It is still not certain whether Jadeja will be available for the final game as Axar Patel worked hard after a match-winning knock of 64 runs in the second game.
However, if Dhawan wants to play two left-arm spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal can be asked to rest, but it will be at the cost of sacrificing variety in the bowling attack.
Arshdeep Singh had a back problem during England’s ODIs, but since he is a left-arm fast bowler, he can be tried in place of Shardul Thakur, who has conceded runs in both the ODIs.
Avesh Khan and the famous Krishna’s hit the deck bowling style is similar, with deliveries to back up from back off length or good length. Therefore, it only warrants that one of the two must start at eleven.
West Indies, on the other hand, have capable players but as a unit they have failed to fire. They rely heavily on the individual talents of Shai Hope, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell or Romario Shepherd.
More importantly, the team has not shown the resilience to win crucial moments that could affect the outcome of the match.
India vs West Indies 3rd ODI Probable Playing XI
India: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Mohammad Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
West Indies: Shai Hope (wk), Brandon King, Shamar Brooks, Kyle Meyers, Nicholas Pooran (c), Rovman Powell, Akil Hossein, Romario Shepherd, Alzarri Joseph, Hayden Walsh, Jaden Seals