India won the toss in the third one-day international of their five match series at Pune on Saturday and opted to ball.
India, chastened after a hard-fought tie in the previous match at Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, decided to play both pace spearheads Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, who were included in the squad for the last three one-day matches.
India will be hoping for the golden rule of captain Virat Kohli to continue, after scores of 140 and 157 not out in the first two matches. However, the home side will be keen that the lower middle order, particularly M.S. Dhoni and Rishabh Pant, contribute.
Shimron Hetmyer has been the stand-out performer for the West Indies in the first two matches, scoring a total of 200 runs in the two matches off just 142 balls and hitting 13 sixes in all. Hetmyer's performances have helped the West Indies breach the 300-score mark in successive matches, which has been a rare feat for the team since the 2015 World Cup.
The West Indies will also be banking on Shai Hope, whose 123 not out helped the team tie the Visakhapatnam ODI. The West Indies have been disappointed by the performance of its most experienced batsman, Marlon Samuels, who scored a total of 13 runs in the first two matches.
