3 player battles to watch out for in IND vs WI 3rd ODI
Team India return to Trinidad to play the third ODI and the decider of the series against the West Indies (WI), this time at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba. The visitors wanted to give a number of players from their squad a chance in the second ODI, thereby resting veterans Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma.
However, none of the batters made the most of the opportunity apart from Ishan Kishan, as they were bundled out for 181. A sensational 63* from WI captain Shai Hope and some able support from Kaecy Carty saw the hosts chase down the target and set up an interesting decider.
The Men in Blue need to address quite a few issues, one being whether they continue with a similar XI or do they bring back Virat and Rohit given the series is on the line. WI, on the other hand, would have got great confidence from their win and will want to give it their all in a format where they have been poor of late.
On that note, let's take a look at the three player battles to watch out for from the final ODI of the series:
#3 Shubman Gill vs Alzarri Joseph
Shubman Gill and Alzarri Joseph have been a part of the same IPL team and might have faced off a number of times in the nets. This would have definitely given them a hint of each other's strengths and weaknesses and that is what makes this match-up interesting.
So far in ODIs, Gill has scored 24 runs off 15 balls faced from Joseph and is yet to be dismissed. However, his form hasn't been that great for India and the speedster will want to test the opener, especially with the new ball where he will get some movement.
#2 Shimron Hetmyer vs Kuldeep Yadav
Coming into the ODI series, Shimron Hetmyer vs Kuldeep Yadav was a match-up that was almost 50-50 with neither having an edge over the other. However, Kuldeep has gotten the better of the southpaw in the series, especially when he cleaned him up with a beautiful googly in the second ODI.
Hetmyer has scored 86 runs off 80 balls from Kuldeep, but the latter has struck thrice and has arguably been even tougher for the batter to read given his pace through the air. This could be a crucial match-up in what promises to be a riveting series decider.
#1 Suryakumar Yadav vs Gudakesh Motie
Suryakumar Yadav remains a massive talking point ahead of the third match as questions continue to mount on his ODI future. The explosive batter has averaged just 23.8 from 25 ODIs and his dismissal in the second match showed how frustrating it has been for both the player and the fans to see him fail.
Left-arm spin has arguably been SKY's Achilles Heel and Gudakesh Motie has proved it, dismissing the star batter twice already this series. Suryakumar arguably needs an effective innings in the third ODI to hold onto his place in the Indian side and will need to find a way of tackling Motie in particular.