New Delhi:
West Indies are a force in the Twenty20 format. They are the only team to win the World T20 two times. The success in the shortest format of the game has led to the resurgence of the Calypso flair and aggression which saw them dominate the sport in their heydays of the 70s and the 80s. Now, they are in the midst of a terrible slump. In 13 matches, they have won just two games and that was well back in 2018 against Bangladesh during their visit. Since then, they have five consecutive matches, including 3-0 to England. Now, they are on the cusp of yet another 3-0 whitewash, this time against India. They had lost 3-0 in the previous series held in India and their head-to-head record, which stood at 2-5 before 2018, now is 5-7. Heading into the Guyana match, West Indies will have to put in a dramatic performance if they avoid yet another whitewash.
The major overhaul begins with the batting. They struggled to 95/9 and managed 98 in the second match before rain halted the game. The top order has been woeful, with Evin Lewis falling for 0 in both games. The batting has been backed up only by Kieron Pollard and Nicholas Pooran. With no support from the batsmen, the bowlers have struggled. In the second game, the likes of Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas and Keemo Paul were good in patches but they have lacked consistent penetration.
On the other hand, India also has had its fair share of problems. The bowling has been their major strength while the batting has issues. Rishabh Pant has failed in the first two games and a lot of questions have been asked about whether he can take the burden of being the first choice keeper in all three formats. KL Rahul, who did not play the first two games, could play on Tuesday. Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja and Krunal Pandya have chipped in at vital times while Navdeep Saini has been impressive, along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed.
Who will win?
On current form, West Indies' batsman has struggled and their bowling has lacked consistency. India, on the other hand, has a solid batting and their bowling has delivered on a regular basis. On paper, India is favourites to achieve a 3-0 whitewash.
Weather and pitch
The Providence wicket has been slow and low and it traditionally assists spin. However, the weather is predicted to be scattered thunderstorms on Tuesday and they will be hoping that the rain stays away.
Statistics
5 - India has won five consecutive matches against West Indies in Twenty20 Internationals. India will be gunning for a 3-0 whitewash.
Stadium and timings
The match will be played at Providence Stadium in Guyana on Tuesday and the match will begin at 8:00 PM IST.
