Onus on India's middle order

Match facts

Big Picture

It is India's turn to entertain reservations about their batting as they prepare for the series decider tomorrow in Kanpur. The frailties of having an out-of-form Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, who seems uncertain about his role in the batting line-up, and Ravindra Jadeja, who looks more a bowler than batsman, were clinically exposed in the second ODI. All three left-handers were stymied as West Indies were smart with their resources, feeding Yuvraj a diet of spin, something he does not enjoy when new at the crease.

Although West Indies' victory in Visakhapatnam looked like a bonus, their batsmen will have received a boost. Dwayne Bravo's men now know they can score more than the Indians in their backyard, despite assistance from shoddy fielding and dew. The visitors must redress the failures of some of their senior batsmen though. Marlon Samuels, in particular, has had a lean year, managing only one score above fifty, and Dwayne Bravo has appeared confused about mixing attack and defence at No. 6.

The match is a day game, a rarity in India, on what is expected to be a sunny day, fitting weather for Green Park's return to international cricket after a four-year hiatus. However, there is a possibility that the teams will have to contend with overnight dew.

Form guide

India LWWWL (last five completed games, most recent first)
West Indies WLLLT

In the spotlight

Accuracy with the ball and energy in the field has put Ravindra Jadeja in the good books of India's captain and selectors, but with bat, his threat level drops significantly. Though his place in the XI is quite safe, Jadeja needs to rise to the responsibility of finishing an innings.

As unpredictable as West Indies' batting has been, their bowling has looked quite potent. So much so that Sunil Narine and Ravi Rampaul gagged India in the batting Powerplay in the second ODI. Those 15 runs and two wickets in those overs tilted the balance in West Indies' favour. Narine's faith in his variations returned in the last match, which made his captain employ a second slip in the 45th over.

Team news

India (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Mohammed Shami

West Indies (probable) 1 Kieran Powell, 2 Johnson Charles (wk), 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Lendl Simmons, 6 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 7 Darren Sammy, 8 Ravi Rampaul 9 Jason Holder 10 Sunil Narine, 11 Veerasammy Permaul

Pitch and conditions

Expectations of bat dominating ball should be reined in as a score over 260 was reached only once in Kanpur. The seamers could have an enjoyable first hour, too, given the early morning start.

Stats and trivia

• India have lost only three out of 11 ODIs played in Kanpur. They lost to West Indies in 1994
• Lendl Simmons averages 40.50 in eight matches this year, a far cry from his 8.66 from six matches in 2012

Quotes

"Once he gets a few runs, you'll see a different Yuvraj Singh."
India captain MS Dhoni

"Four, five batters getting good starts and putting the team in a position of strength to win games, I will take that any day."
West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo