Unchanged India bat in series decider; Alzarri Joseph, Roston Chase back for West Indies

Posted By on August 13, 2023

Toss India chose to bat vs West Indies

Hardik Pandya called correctly and an unchanged India elected to bat in the series-deciding fifth T20I in Lauderhill. Rovman Powell, his West Indies counterpart, said he would’ve wanted to bowl first anyway, which means both teams got what they wanted.

Asked about his call to bat first, Hardik touched upon India wanting to challenge themselves. Perhaps the decision was also influenced by the used surface – the same pitch was used for the fourth T20I yesterday.
West Indies made two changes, opting for some top-order batting insurance in the form of Roston Chase who came in for allrounder Odean Smith. They also brought back their main pacer Alzarri Joseph for Obed McCoy, whose three wicketless overs yesterday cost 32.

Having gone from 2-0 up to 2-2 in the series, Powell hoped to put on a show to bring back smiles on their fans’ faces. A series win here will also come as a massive boost to the team as they look to build towards next year’s T20 World Cup on home soil – West Indies are co-hosts with the USA.

Also, a win today will give West Indies a second straight T20I series success, building on their 2-1 win over South Africa earlier this year.

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (capt), Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar

West Indies: Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Shai Hope, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Rovman Powell (capt), Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph

Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

Source: ESPN Crickinfo

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