Team India have been in a roaring form in the shortest format this year but their winning streak was put on hold by West Indies in the second T20I as they claimed a victory by five wickets at the Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts. Obed McCoy was the shining spot for West Indies as he scalped six wickets and restricted Team India to a below-par score of 138. In return, West Indies chased down the target with four balls to spare and five wickets in hand. Third T2OI might become a chance for Deepak Hooda to find his place back into the Playing XI. The batter rose to fame with his century and a 47-run knock off 29 balls against Ireland in the two-match series. The batter could not live up to the expectations in the ODI series against West Indies and got the numbers like 27 and 33.
Here’s what we think should be India’s playing XI for the 3rd T20I
Rohit Sharma: The Indian skipper has been good form in the ongoing series. He played a 64-run knock off just 44 balls in the first T20I but got dismissed for a duck in the second game. Despite all these factors, Rohit is still one of the most reliable batters for the visitors.
Suryakumar Yadav: The hard-hitting batter of Team India has given an average performance in the first two games. It will be interesting to see whether India use him as an opener in third T20I or not.
Shreyas Iyer: After getting dismissed for a duck in the 1st T20I, Iyer could manage to get only 10 runs off 11 balls. It would be interesting to see if management persists with him or they give a chance to Deepak Hooda.
Rishabh Pant: The wicketkeeper-batter got out at 14 in the first T20I and scored 24 runs off 12 balls in the second match. Third T20I might prove to be a chance for him to redeem himself and play a big innings.
Hardik Pandya: Despite having an average outing in the first two matches, no one can count out Hardik. The all-rounder has been in a blistering form this year and has produced great numbers in the shortest format.
Dinesh Karthik: Team India can blindly rely on Dinesh Karthik’s potential as he has been in a lethal form this year, even though he got out at 7 in the second T20I.
Ravindra Jadeja: The all-rounder was unfit for the ODI series against West Indies. But he made his return in the 1st T20I, scoring 16 runs and taking one wicket, followed by 27 runs and 1 wicket in the second T20I.
Ravichandran Ashwin: The off-spinner scalped two wickets in the first T20I, which was followed by one wicket in the second T20I. He conceded 32 runs in his entire four-over spell. Even though he could only contribute 10 runs with the bat, Ashwin is still a reliable player to look upon.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: The pacer scalped one wicket in the first match but wicketless in the second one. In the absence of the Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar has been the key pacer for Team India.
Promoted
Arshdeep Singh: The young pacer took one wicket in the second T20I and conceded only 26 runs in his spell. Arshdeep is one of the best death bowlers going around, who can maintain a good economy at a crucial time.
Ravi Bishnoi: The spinner was replaced by Avesh Khan in the second T20I but the latter proved to be really costly for Team India. Will Bishnoi find his place back, is a question on everyone’s minds.
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