IND vs WI 3rd T20I preview: India's bowlers face a small ground and a big test in Indore with the series level at 1-1
Two days after West Indies chased 250 in Ranchi, the series moves to the Holkar Stadium, one of India's smallest grounds, on Sunday, 11 October at 7 PM IST. India's batting is firing. The question is whether their bowling can stop Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford.
India and West Indies go into the third of five T20Is in Indore on Sunday with the series level at 1-1, and with very different things on their minds.
India's batters have done their job in both games. Shreyas Iyer's unbeaten 102 won the opener in Lucknow, and in Ranchi Sanju Samson's 82 off 41 took India to 249 for 5. Their bowlers are another story. West Indies chased those 250 runs with nine balls to spare, the second-highest successful chase in T20I history, as Shai Hope made 102 not out off 45 balls and Sherfane Rutherford hit 84 off 37. The two of them cleared the rope 16 times.
Now the series moves to the Holkar Stadium, one of the smallest international grounds in India. That is good news for batters and a worry for an attack that has just conceded 20 sixes.
IND vs WI 3rd T20I: match details
- Match: India vs West Indies, 3rd T20I (five-match series level at 1-1)
- Date: Sunday, 11 October 2026
- Time: 7:00 PM IST (toss at 6:30 PM IST)
- Venue: Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore
- TV: Star Sports Network
- Live streaming: JioHotstar app and website
- Live score: tryball.in
Where to watch IND vs WI 3rd T20I live in India
The match is live on the Star Sports Network on TV and streams on JioHotstar. Check the TryBall match page for the toss, playing XIs and ball-by-ball live score.
India: fix the bowling, or trust it?
The batting picks itself. Samson answered questions about his place in Ranchi, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma are in form, and Iyer has already made a hundred in this series. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has 246 runs at a strike rate of 186 in eight T20Is, is likely to sit out again.
The bowling is where the decisions are. Mayank Yadav took three wickets in his first three overs in Ranchi at close to 150 kph, but he never bowled his fourth. Without him, India's bowlers went for 216 runs in 15.3 overs. Axar Patel went at 18 an over and Shivam Dube's two overs cost 30.
Ravi Bishnoi is the obvious option if India want a third specialist spinner, possibly in place of Naman Dhir, the hero of the first game. Prince Yadav is waiting in the squad if they want another quick.
West Indies: same again
There is little reason for West Indies to change a side that has just chased 250. Hope and Rutherford have now made fifties against India in both games, Romario Shepherd finished Ranchi with 34 off 13, and Roston Chase took 3 for 24 when every other bowler went at more than 10 an over. Their bowling is still the weaker half of the team, but on Friday their batting made that irrelevant.
IND vs WI 3rd T20I: likely playing XIs
These are predictions, not confirmed teams.
- India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Naman Dhir or Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav
- West Indies: Shai Hope (c & wk), Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Springer, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph
Indore pitch report and India's record
The Holkar Stadium has hosted four men's T20Is, and the average first-innings score is about 200. Short boundaries and a true surface mean 200 is par, not a big total. India hold the ground record with 260 for 5 against Sri Lanka in 2017, and this is also the ground where Virender Sehwag hit 219 against West Indies in an ODI in 2011.
India have won three of their four T20Is here. Their only defeat came against South Africa in 2022, when they were bowled out chasing 228. The record is split 2-2 between teams batting first and second, but with dew expected after the monsoon's retreat, the side that wins the toss will probably bowl first.
It has been hot and dry in Indore this week, with daytime temperatures in the mid-30s, so rain should not be a factor.
What to watch for
- Does Mayank Yadav get all four overs this time?
- Will India bring in Ravi Bishnoi for a third specialist spinner?
- Can anyone slow down Hope and Rutherford, who have now scored four fifties between them in two games?
- How much does dew decide the toss and the chase on a small ground?
Follow the toss, playing XIs and ball-by-ball live score on TryBall.