3rd ODI: India look to plug gaps; extend lead against West Indies

Handed a reality check after West Indies salvaged a moraleboosting tie in the second game India will be hoping to put up an improved bowling show with their frontline pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah back in action for the third ODI here on SaturdayA welloiled India hammered the Windies in the lung opener in Guwahati by eight wickets but the gritty visitors indeed made a statement of sorts in Visakhapatnam by denying the hosts a victory and a chance to go 20 ahead in the fivematch rubber However the absence of Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah saw Indian bowling unit being clobbered for 320 plus runs in both gamesWith more variations in their repertoire in white ball cricket compared to the profilgate Umesh Yadav and an inconsistent Mohammed Shami Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah are expected to make a significant difference especially in the first Powerplay and the death oversIndia also have issues to ponder over with only 16 games are left before the World Cup in England next year the fragile middleorder and lack of consistency from the lowermiddle order batsmen when they take field at the MCA International stadiumSkipper Virat Kohli who surpassed iconic Sachin Tendulkar to score fastest 10000 runs has always been the backbone of the team His back to back hundreds 140 and 157 not out is just a testimony to it The skipper who has scored 297 runs so far in the series will be aiming for a big knock againAmbati Rayadu whose 73 consolidated his claim for No 4 spot and a good show on Saturday will only help him make the position his ownBut questions remain on a stable numbers 5 6 and 7Veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni 20 again looked out of sorts in the second ODI and with his ability to finish innings on the wane the stumper will be under immense pressure to perform A big score is expected from young Rishabh Pant who has got the ability to go all guns blazing The team management is expected to persist with him for his gamechanging abilityThe dew is a big factor during daynight matches in India something that will worry Kohli since both his wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal were finding it difficult to grip the wet ballSenior spinner Ravindra Jadeja will have to pull up his socks and cant afford to be inconsistent with only a few places up for grabs going into the World CupFor the visitors their biggest asset is young Shimron Hetmyer who scored a scintillating 94 in the last game after an attractive 106 in the opening encounterThe 21yearold southpaw would be raring to go at the Indian bowlers once againWicketkeeperbatsman Shai Hope with his hundred in Visakhapatnam has proved that there is more to his game than the attractive 30sBut apart from these two West Indies would be hoping that the others like Kieron Powell Chanderpaul Hemraj and Rovman Powell step up and deliverTheir senior pros like experienced Marlon Samuels 13 runs and skipper Jason Holder 50 runs havent really played to their potential The duo will look to make amendsThe bowling attack will be spearheaded by Kemar Roach but he has been leaking runs along with their spinners Devendra Bishoo and Ashley NurseThe trio along with the others including Holder and Oshane Thomas will need to come up with something special to restrict a ruthless Indian skipper and the others who can hammer any bowling attackSquads India Virat Kohli Captain Rohit Sharma vicecaptain Shikhar Dhawan Ambati Rayudu Rishabh Pant MS Dhoni wicketkeeper Ravindra Jadeja Kuldeep Yadav Yuzvendra Chahal Bhuvneshwar Kumar Jasprit Bumrah Khaleel Ahmed Umesh Yadav KL Rahul Manish PandeyWest Indies Jason Holder Captain Fabian Allen Sunil Ambris Devendra Bishoo Chanderpaul Hemraj Shimron Hetmyer Shai Hope Alzarri Joseph Evin Lewis Ashley Nurse Keemo Paul Rovman Powell Kemar Roach Marlon Samuels Oshane ThomasCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Except for the change in headline the story has been provided ASIS AS AVAILABLE without any verification or editing from our side Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever