*INDIA VS WESTINDIES 5th T20 IN A 5 MATCH T20I SERIES 2023 PREVIEW*
*THE BUILD UP:*
*THE FINAL SHOWOFF FOR INDIA AND WINDIES IS HERE:*
Think of all those games where the result of the series has been decided by the fifth game, there would be a few and it only speaks of the competitiveness of the two sides and how they have excelled in all departments. It goes without saying that USA will be treated to another classic today with the Caribbean boys all set to lock horns with this Hardik led Indian T20 side that has the momentum with it after clinching the last two T20Is and momentum in the shortest format of the game goes along way in deciding the outcome afterall. The show that the Indian openers put up the other day gave us another lesson as cricket fans- we should never undermine our young talent and with both Shubman and Yashasvi notching up match winning fifties, it was only an indication towards the intent that they are likely to show today as well.
The Windies bowling lineup was left clueless and Akeal Hossain, who went wicketless was the only ray of hope with his economy being under 8. Even on the batting front, the wickets of Pooran and Powell did haunt their progress and they were nowhere close to the target that would have been a suitable one to not chase down on this wicket which had little assistance for the bowlers and alot of help for the batters as it was a conductive one for stroke play. The first half of the game did give quite a lot about the wicket and if it plays the same way, expect the batters to have a good day again with a possibility of a centurion emerging out of somewhere too.
*INDIA PROBABLE XI:*
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya©, Sanju Samson(wk), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar
Kuldeep Yadav is having the time of his life. He has been fairly instrumental to India’s success and even last game, struck with his golden arm as he dismissed both Pooran and Powell inside one over, proving his credentials as a spin option for India again. The pitch was flat and it could have been an easy walk for the batters but the left arm chinaman ensured that the WI batters had to do the hardyards and the figures he recorded showed this. He is in form and high on confidence, expect him to be amongst the wickets once again.
India’s Top 4 is a threatening one. It covers all areas of batsmanship and has the ability to simply tonk the opposition without second thought. After middling returns all this while, Shubman finally got going and went extremely well. To cap that off, the likes of SKY and Tilak have also been churning out the opposition with their 360 degree power packed batting. The WI bowlers will be put to test against a batting order that now looks fairly settled to handle. They would be eyeing a performance like the one in the first two games of this series.
*WINDIES PROBABLE XI:*
Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Shai Hope, Nicholas Pooran(wk), Rovman Powell©, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Akeal Hosein, Obed McCoy
Shai Hope at 3 is a wonderful inclusion and has the knack of nailing the role of an anchor. He was key in Windies counterpunch last game where Hetmyer attacked and would be key even today as the others around him will most likely play by the sword and attack like champions. His 45 run knock off 29 lay the platform and the circumstances that it came under speaks highly of his composed nature. The WI fans would be looking forward to him anchoring the scoring for them.
Pooran and Powell, two clean strikers of the game and technically very strong missed out last game and were outfoxed by the mystery of Kuldeep. On a surface that aids the batters and with teams expected to reach 200, it will be very important for this duo to play the threat out and take on the pacers where India would be fielding atleast three(including Hardik). Their aggressive mindset could decide the outcome of the game and if they are set, the record books can also be broken here at this stadium.
*MY PREDICTIONS:*
*FOR IND:*
Highest run getter- Tilak Verma/Yashasvi Jaiswal/SKY
Highest wicket taker- Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzi Chahal
*FOR WI:*
Highest run getter- Pooran/Shai Hope
Highest wicket taker- Akeal Hossain/Jason Holdar
*FOR THIS GAME:*
India to win