Having taken a 2-1 lead in the five-match series against the Windies, the Men in Blue have a great chance to close it out in the fourth T20I to be played in Lauderhill, Florida on August 6.
After a disappointing batting show in the second T20I, India bounced back strongly in the third to hand WI a seven-wicket defeat, and with it took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. While Hardik Pandya carried on his brilliance with the ball, and the specialists playing their parts, Suryakumar Yadav blossomed as an opener with a stroke-filled 44-ball 76.
The Indians would be worried over the lack of contributions from Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, and the former might well make way for one of Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan or Ravindra Jadeja in the XI.
The bowlers have had a fine run overall, and almost succeeded in defending a below-par total in the second T20I. Harshal Patel might just walk in to the XI, should he recover from the rib injury which kept him out of selection for the last two games. The visitors would also be hoping for skipper Rohit Sharma to return match-fit, after he had walked off the field in the second over of the chase on Tuesday, with back-spasms.
“It [my body] is okay at the moment. We’ve got a few days in between [now and] the next game, so hopefully [I] should be okay,”
the captain said after the win.
The Windies, meanwhile, have produced some fine individual performances, but have failed to capitalize on them to set it up for a desired result, barring the second game wherein Obed McCoy (6/17) and Brandon King (68 off 52) did enough for the team to secure a five-wicket win.
Skipper Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer haven’t quite hit their best, and the hosts would ask for a lot more from their experienced duo in bid to avoid a fourth-straight T20I series defeat to India. McCoy has been consistent with the ball, but mixed returns from Alzarri Joseph, Jason Holder and the rest haven’t helped the team’s cause.
Key players
Nicholas Pooran has uncharacteristically failed to get going in the series thus far, with struggles against off-spin being evident once again as the left-hander fell to Ravichandran Ashwin in the first two games. He clearly struggled for timing in the third, managing 22 off 23 despite two fours and a six. He scored 141 in the ODI series while striking comfortably over a run-a-ball and the better batting conditions in the final two games might just help him rediscover his dominant best.
Shimron Hetmyer has had an underwhelming series thus far, with scores of 20, 6 and 14 in the three outings respectively, with him too, having struggled a fair bit against spin. One of West Indies’ key players in build up to the T20 World Cup 2022, Hetmyer would be keen to hit his best, and no better chance to do it with a series on the line against a top-ranked T20I side.
Rohit Sharma started off the series with a fluent 64 off 44 in the first T20I at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba on Friday, before falling for a first-ball duck in the second in St.Kitts. He unleashed a trademark pull of Alzarri Joseph off just his second ball in the third game, before leaving the field moments later with back spasms. He could be primed for a big score with the series nearing its business end, and two fifties from four outings at the venue, while maintaining a strike-rate of 145 present promising signs.
Hardik Pandya has been one of the most improved white-ball cricketers in recent times, with the all-rounder offering assurance on either fronts more than ever before. After leading the side to a 2-0 series win in Ireland, Hardik produced a Player of the Match performance in the first of three T20Is against England last month, with 51 (33) and 4/33, and has carried that run in the ongoing series. He has conceded just 53 runs from the 10 overs bowled thus far, while having dismissed Kyle Mayers and Brandon King. He might have a significant role to play with the bat at a venue likely to aid high-scoring.
Prediction
Recent form – both in terms of individuals and overall team performance – puts India as firm favorites for the contest. West Indies’ five-wicket win in the second T20I of the ongoing series was one of their only two wins in the 15 head-to-head contests played between the two sides since 2018.
India have won two of their three completed games in Lauderhill, Florida, till date, with the lone defeat coming by a narrow one-run margin in a failed run-chase of 246 six years ago. Expect the visitors to seal a series win on Saturday, which’d offer them another chance to experiment further with their bench strength.
However, the quality in the Windies camp can’t be discarded either, and just one individual brilliance could be enough for them to square the series to set it up for an exciting decider.
