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Over 3: Hemraj gets off the mark with a four off Bhuvi towards backward point. West Indies 10/0
Over 2: Great start by Bumrah as he bowls a fine maiden over. West Indies 4/0
OVER 1: Powell hits a four off Bhuvi. West Indies 4/0
Powell and Hemraj are at the crease. Powell is on strike while
Bhuvneshwar will open the attack
Playing XIs
West Indies (Playing XI): Kieran Powell, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shai Hope (w), Marlon Samuels, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder (c), Fabian Allen, Ashley Nurse, Kemar Roach, Obed McCoy
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (w), Rishabh Pant, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, K Khaleel Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal
TOSS: Indian skipper Virat Kohli wins toss, elects to bowl against West Indies in third ODI
Pitch Report
This pitch is going to be flat. There is little bit of grass so ball might move a bit initially but once ball becomes old. It should be an excellent batting track. We are in for plenty of runs again on this pitch.
PREVIEW
Can West Indies catch up with the high-flying Indians to level the series at the Gahunje stadium in the third ODI in Pune on Saturday? They can but for that to happen the visitors can't afford to spill catches, especially those of Indian captain Virat Kohli, who is redefining the meaning of consistency. Windies captain Jason Holder had failed to latch on to a catch at mid-off off Kohli's bat in the tied second ODI at Vizag when he was on 44.
For the Windies to be competitive, their batsmen need to show consistency and team effort. They can't waste great platforms like 221-3 in the 32nd over. They can't hope to ride on individual batting brilliance of Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer. Their spinners could also do with some luck because leggie Devendra Bishoo, offie Ashely Nurse and part-timer Marlon Samuels haven't bowled too badly. And if the wicket is a bit dicey, left-arm pacer Obed McCoy can also prove to be a handful.
The visitors will also have to contend with an improved Indian bowling attack, what with pace mainstays Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah coming back into the mix after a well-earned rest. The Windies though would have been boosted themselves after contesting a thrilling tie in Vizag which saw India field first despite knowing that there would be a lot of dew in the second innings which could hamper their three-man spin attack.
What will be more challenging at Gahunje then? Batting first and bowling with dew coming into picture? Or fielding first and asking the batsmen to negotiate some swing when temperatures will drop and the breeze will pick up? Answering that is as difficult as predicting the nature of the Gahunje wicket.
In four of the five international games at Gahunje (three ODIs, two T20 games), India had batted second. The only time India batted first at Gahunje in an international game was in February 2016. They were bowled out then for 101 in a humiliating five-wicket loss to Sri Lanka when Kohli was rested However, this Indian bunch doesn't live in the past.
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