5th T20I: India, West Indies cross swords in decider
What's the story
The fifth and final T20I between India and West Indies is set to be a thrilling showdown, with the series tied at 2-2. However, rain in Bengaluru could play spoilsport. The match will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. The weather forecast predicts possible rain interruptions, which could affect the outcome of this highly anticipated decider. Here is the match preview.
Match conditions
How will the pitch behave?
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is known for its batting-friendly pitches and small boundary dimensions.
However, the weather forecast doesn't look promising with rain interruptions likely.
Owing to the same, the toss-winning skipper must elect to field first.
One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream it on the JioHotstar app/website (7:00pm IST).
Series significance
Stakes are high in Bengaluru
The match is crucial for both teams, especially the West Indies.
They are on the verge of achieving a historic T20I series victory in India, something no visiting team has done since February 2019.
India's last T20I assignment in Bengaluru was against Afghanistan on January 17, 2024, and it was decided by two Super Overs.
However, this time around, the stakes are higher with both teams having won two matches each so far.
Information
IND vs WI: Decoding H2H record
The two teams have met each other 35 times in the 20-over format. India lead the show with a win-loss record of 23-11. One match didn't have a result, according to Cricinfo. At home, India have 11 wins and just four defeats against the Men in Maroon.
XIs
Probable XIs of IND and WI
India probable XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav.
WI probable XI: Shai Hope (c & wk), Jewel Andrew, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Roston Chase, Keemo Paul, Shamar Springer, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph.
Player spotlight
Here are the key performers
Shai Hope has been a standout performer in this tour, amassing four tons and a fifty across seven outings.
Tilak Varma is the only batter to average over 40 and strike at 140-plus in the T20 format (minimum 5,000 runs).
Abhishek's strike rate of 194.26 is the best among batters with at least 500 runs in this format.
Roston Chase has the most wickets (6) and the second-best economy in this T20I series (9.06).
Ishan Kishan has hammered over 1,000 T20I runs this year.
Poll
