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Cricket PlayersIndia vs West Indies: Another run-fest awaits in Indore
The third T20I could produce a feast for the batters at the Holkar Stadium, with a flat pitch, small boundaries.
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India are all set to take on West Indies in the crucial 3rd T20I of the five-match series at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. After the visitors' historic run-chase in the last match at Ranchi, the series is now level at 1-1. Hence, if the Men in Blue want to bounce back, a win on Sunday, October 11 is absolutely crucial.
After India dominated the visitors in the series opener in Lucknow by 8 wickets, they came into the second game brimming with confidence. That same confidence showed when they batted first, posting a mammoth total of 249/5. Sanju Samson top-scored with 82, while Shreyas Iyer (40) and Tilak Varma (44*) played crucial knocks.
But what followed from the West Indies was an absolute masterclass in power hitting. The visitors pulled off the highest successful run chase ever against India in T20Is, with 9 balls to spare. Captain Shai Hope was the star of the show as he slammed his 2nd T20I ton, while Sherfane Rutherford also hit 88.
Deep Dive
With 501 runs being scored between the two teams, the debate over making flat pitches conducive only to batting and harmful to bowlers once again came into the spotlight, with head coach Gautam Gambhir also being heavily critical of it.
"You don't want a good bat-and-ball competition? What you want to see, that's also what we want to see. We also want to see an even contest," Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.
"These bowlers are our bowlers, not someone else's bowlers. Their careers are at stake; they have worked hard to sit in this dressing room. If it's an even competition, we'll see a better game of cricket," he added.
Another run fest loading in Indore
However, if the bowlers expect some relief during the Indore T20I, they are likely to be disappointed. The Holkar Stadium is famous for its small boundaries, flat pitches, and lightning-fast outfields, and this will once again prove handy for batters.
The average first-innings score at this venue in T20Is is 201. This is the exact stadium where India had breached the 250-run mark for the first time, back in 2017 vs Sri Lanka.
Like the match in Ranchi, dew is expected to play a big part in the second innings. The average temperature drops to 21 degrees Celsius in the evening from 35 degrees Celsius in the morning, and this sharp drop is an ideal condition for dew formation. Hence, the team that wins the toss will likely bowl first.
Given the red-hot form of both batting lineups, the 3rd T20I in Indore is expected to be yet another run-fest.
