India vs West Indies, 3rd ODI: Preview, Predicted XI, Match Prediction, Live Streaming, Weather forecast, and Pitch report

India bounced back in Visakhapatnam with a thumping 107-run win to level the series 1-1 against the West Indies. The series has now gone into the decider which will take place this Sunday.

India hasn’t lost an ODI series against West Indies at home for more than one and a half decades. The last time they lost it was way back in 2002-03. They have been utterly dominating against the Men in Maroon ever since and they would be keen to continue that dominance as they approach the final game of the series. India, however, will have to make sure they are not complacent ahead of the decider and are relentless with both bat and ball as they were in Vishakhapatnam.

Talking about the West Indies, they have looked a different unit altogether under Kieron Pollard. They have been more mature and more composed than before and more importantly, they seem to have a game-plan when they bat. Even though the second ODI was a one-sided affair, there were parts of the game where West Indies managed to put India under pressure. They have been very competitive in the series and there is no reason why they shouldn’t believe they can get better of India and win the series.

Here is all you need to know about the 3rd ODI between India and West Indies.

Match Details:

Date: December 22, 2019 (Sunday)

Time: 1:30 PM (IST)

Venue: Barabati Stadium, Cuttack

Weather Forecast

The winter is at its peak in the eastern part of India, but Cuttack has been forecasted to be nice and sunny on the 22nd. The temperature will be in the range of 24-26 degrees Celsius with a humidity of 63%.

With the humidity being a little on the higher side, it might be energy-sapping for the players in the afternoon. However, the conditions will overall be pleasant with a slight breeze blowing across the ground. No showers are expected throughout the day.

Pitch Report

The pitch at the Barabati Stadium has generally been low and slow over the years and it might be of the same nature again. The conditions might get more and more conducive for the spinners as the game progresses, but because of the potential dew factor, the spinners might face difficulty in gripping the ball in the second innings.

It will be a tricky decision for the captain winning the toss to make a decision. Given India’s track record of chasing in recent years, they would probably like to field first and so would the West Indies.

Match Prediction

India have been outstanding in the series deciders in white-ball cricket recently. Whenever they are under the pump, they come out with their best performance. There is no doubt that West Indies have got some real match-winners at their disposal, but the prediction is for India to be able to beat the visitors and win the series 2-1.

Probable XI:

India went with the 5th bowler Shardul Thakur in the second ODI ahead of the seam bowling all-rounder Shivam Dube and the move paid dividends as Shardul gave India an early breakthrough and didn’t allow West Indies to get off to a big start in pursuit of a big target.

The hosts are likely to persist with Thakur, but they will have to make a forced change as Deepak Chahar has been ruled out of the game due to injury. Navdeep Saini has been called up as his replacement and he is in line to make his ODI debut.

India predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (C), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini

West Indies went with a slightly defensive approach in Vishakhapatnam as they dropped the wrist-spinner Hayden Walsh for the left-arm spinner Khary Pierre. The move backfired as Pierre didn’t provide the control the Windies were looking for. Hayden Walsh might return for the decider as he will be a wicket-taking option in the middle overs. The rest of the West Indies line-up should remain the same.

West Indies predicted XI: Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard (C), Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Keemo Paul, Sheldon Cottrell, Alzarri Joseph, Hayden Walsh

Live Broadcast and streaming details

The 3rd ODI can be watched live on TV on Star Sports 1, Star Sports HD 1, Star Sports Hindi and Star Sports Hindi 1. The match will also be streamed live on the Star Sports’ app Hotstar.