Following the 3-0 drubbing at the hands of South Africa away from home, the Indian team have found a new lease of life against the West Indies. The new-look side are playing good cricket and have just won their second successive match against the Caribbean Team. However, it would be wrong to write Kieron Pollard’s team off given the kind of players they have at their disposal. Having already lost the series to the hosts, West Indies will be desperate to end the series on a winning note.

The Indian team have had their own problems to deal with following a Covid-19 outbreak within the squad. With Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer and Ruturaj Gaikward sidelined, the others have stepped up and done well to take their side home on both occasions. The bowlers have done a decent job by not allowing the visitors to cross the 200-run mark on both occasions. While Pollard’s side know that they need to improve on their batting, the Indian team know that another win on Friday would do them no harm.

Match Details

• Match: India vs. West Indies, 3rd ODI
• Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad 
• Date & Time: Feb. 11, 2022, at 1:30 PM IST

India vs West Indies Probably Playing XIs

India

Rohit Sharma (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

West Indies

Shai Hope (WK), Brandon King, Darren Bravo, Shamrah Brooks, Nicholas Pooran (C), Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Odean Smith, Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph, Hayden Walsh

Head-to-head Record

Weather Report

The weather in Ahmedabad isn’t going to disappoint cricket fans. It is expected to be sunny on Friday with the temperature set to around 30 degrees. The humidity will be around 29%, making it an ideal atmosphere to play cricket.

Pitch Report

The stadium in Ahmedabad is being used for the purpose of hosting ODIs for the first time since 2014. However, it has played well so far, troubling the batsmen with both spin and pace. Both the home and away sides have failed to go beyond 250 batting first showing that it has something on offer for the bowlers. The dew factor might make life difficult for bowlers later on.

Toss

Taking the dew factor into consideration, the captain winning the toss might look to bowl first and then count on the batters to chase that target down. The slight advantage the team batting first holds over those batting second (having won 12 out of 23) could also help the skippers take the final call.

Top Fantasy Picks

India

• Rohit Sharma, the newly-appointed Indian skipper, has a three-digit score long overdue. He has just returned from injury and with three of his five 150 plus scores coming against West Indies, might fancy another big one against the same opponents on Friday.
• Prasidh Krishna has been instrumental with the ball in the first two games. A fiery opening spell in the opening ODI followed by his best bowling spell in the second one. He has taken six wickets in two matches at an average of 6.83, an economy rate of just 2.15, and a strike rate of 19.

West Indies

• Shai Hope looked in decent touch in the previous ODI before throwing away a promising start. He has a good record against India, scoring 728 runs in 19 matches at an average of 48.53. The Windies opener has a game that relies on timing and strike-rotation, which is crucial on a slowish track in Ahmedabad.
• Alzarri Joseph has been one of West Indies’ most consistent performers in the series, having picked up four wickets – two each in the two ODIs he has played. His figures of 36/2 in his full quota of 10 overs in the second ODI makes good reading in an otherwise disappointing West Indies performance. He can cap it off with yet another good performance in the last match.

Howzat Dream Team

• Wicketkeeper: Shai Hope
• Batters: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Suryakumar Yadav, Shamrah Brooks
• All-rounders: Jason Holder, Washington Sundar
• Bowlers: Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Odean Smith, Alzarri Joseph

• Captain: Deepak Chahar/Shikhar Dhawan
• Vice Captain: Shai Hope/Alzarri Joseph

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own team from today’s fantasy cricket match prediction and play all the fantasy cricket upcoming matches of the West Indies Tour of India. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.

Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!