India will have to address the many inadequacies laid bare by a resolute West Indies in the second T20I when the two teams lock horns in the decider in Mumbai on Wednesday. The series is locked 1-1 after two-time world champions turned the tables in Thiruvananthapuram.
For India, the focus will once again be on young guns like off-spinner Washington Sundar and under-fire wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant.
The spotlight on Pant, especially, has been obsessive and it is expected to be no different when the team takes the field at the Wankhede Stadium. As for Sundar, it would be interesting to see whether the team management persists with him or gives Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav a chance.
Moreover, Sundar’s fielding is another aspect about which skipper Virat Kohli would be worried. In the last game, he dropped a sitter of Lendl Simmons, whose 45-ball 67 laid the foundation of the West Indies’ eight-wicket triumph.
For Pant also things are only getting tougher. The focus on him has been unrelenting and it won’t be easy for him to regain the early form that made him seem like Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s heir apparent.
But in the overall analysis, India’s batting has never been a problem. However, bowling is a slight concern. A profligate pace duo of Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar leaked runs in the first two matches.
Also, India’s fielding was way below par. The dropped catches and several misfields prompted Kohli to say if the performance does not improve, no score would be enough.
On the other hand, West Indies will also fancy their chances to clinch the series after the terrific comeback. They have fond memories of playing T20s at the Wankhede as in the 2016 ICC World Cup semi-final, they defeated India and went on to win the title.
Squads:
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Sanju Samson
West Indies: Kieron Pollard (captain), Fabian Allen, Brandon King, Denesh Ramdin, Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Sherfane Rutherford, Shimron Hetmyer, Khary Pierre, Lendl Simmons, Jason Holder, Hayden Walsh Jr, Keemo Paul, Kesrick Williams.