India vs West Indies, 5th ODI, Toss report: West Indies have won the toss and elected to bat first at the Greenfield international Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
It has been the first time that West Indies have won the toss in the ongoing ODI series. After giving a tough competition to the men in blue in Vishakhapatnam and Pune, West Indies lost the momentum in Mumbai and thus, the fourth ODI.
However, with one more chance left, they would try to put all their efforts into levelling the series to save their pride.
There are two changes in the squad. Ashley Nurse, who picked up a niggle in his left shoulder in the previous match, has been replaced by Oshane Thomas. Secondly, Chandrapaul Hemraj is also missing out and Devendra Bishoo comes in.
"We are gonna bat first. Hopefully, we will get some runs on the board and put them under pressure. He is ruled out for the entire tour. Hopefully, he can recover for the next tour. I think it it is about consistency. That is what the good teams though," said Holder after winning the toss.
On the other hand, with a 2-1 lead in the series, Virat Kohli and his men are all set to get into the last ODI face-off of this year. Though they have lost the toss, they will look forward to repeating the performance they delivered in Mumbai.
Skipper Virat Kohli has chosen to play an unchanged playing XI in the last match.
"We would have bowled first as well. There would be a lot of dew. It has been overcast for the last few days and there would be something in the wicket. If it is too damp, the spinners will also come into play," said Kohli
Here’re the playing XIs:
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, K Khaleel Ahmed, Jasprit Bumrah
West Indies (Playing XI): Kieran Powell, Shai Hope(w), Marlon Samuels, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder(c), Fabian Allen, Devendra Bishoo, Keemo Paul, Kemar Roach, Oshane Thomas