India vs West Indies 3rd ODI Prediction: Who will win today's match?
Having sealed the series with a win in each of the first two matches, India will look to test out a few combinations in the third and final ODI against West Indies on Friday, February 11 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The Men in Blue will need to strike the right balance between experimentation and giving the frontline players a series of games in their respective roles, though. Shikhar Dhawan's return opens up a middle-order conundrum, with none of Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant and Deepak Hooda deserving of being either dropped or rested.
Players like Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Deepak Chahar and Ishan Kishan are on the bench, with Shreyas Iyer too having recovered from COVID-19 to be available for selection. India have a few dilemmas on their hands, and it remains to be seen what approach Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid and the team management take for the dead rubber.
West Indies, meanwhile, fought hard in the second ODI on the back of Odean Smith's brilliant all-round showing but eventually came up short. If regular captain Kieron Pollard has recovered from a niggle, the visitors too will be a bit puzzled when it comes to selecting their best possible playing XI. They cannot afford to take the third ODI lightly, with valuable Cricket World Cup Super League points up for grabs in Ahmedabad.
India vs West Indies 3rd ODI: CWC Super League points hang in the balance in Ahmedabad
West Indies' biggest problem has been their top-order batting. Brandon King, Shai Hope, Darren Bravo and Nicholas Pooran have failed to play substantial knocks, putting immense pressure on the lower-middle order to bail them out of trouble. Even Shamarh Brooks, who kept the team in the hunt in the second ODI with a fighting 44, got stuck in a horrible rut at the start of his innings.
Hope, Pooran and Bravo are three of the more experienced batters in the batting lineup and they need to come good if the Windies are to seriously challenge India's bowling attack, which is firing on all fronts right now. It might perhaps be in the team's best interests to keep Pollard out for the third ODI, if only to give the impressive pacers - Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph, Jason Holder and Odean Smith - another game together, especially since the big-hitting batter has only a combined four runs in his last three ODI innings.
India, on the other hand, have a few things to work on. They've been extremely inconsistent while setting a total in ODIs, but with dew expected to play a part in Ahmedabad, they might not want to take the risk. The Men in Blue will also want to sort out their middle order, which hasn't worn a settled look. How they rotate in the third ODI will give a big indication of the direction they want to take under Rohit and Dravid.
Overall, India have enough firepower to beat West Indies. The toss could have a big role to play in the outcome of the game, but the hosts will be quietly confident of completing a clean sweep.
Prediction: India to win the third ODI against West Indies