India won the toss and chose to bat in the third and final ODI against West Indies in New Chandigarh, making three changes: Anshul Kamboj debuts, Mohammed Siraj and Nitish Kumar Reddy return, and Ravindra Jadeja is left out. India lead 2-0 and are chasing a 3-0 sweep.
India won the toss this morning and elected to bat first in the third and final ODI against West Indies at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh (Mullanpur). It is the first men's ODI ever played at the ground, a day/night game with a 14:00 local start. India already lead 2-0, so the series is decided, and they are going for a 3-0 clean sweep after winning both previous games while chasing.
| Team changes | |
|---|---|
| India in | Anshul Kamboj (debut), Mohammed Siraj, Nitish Kumar Reddy |
| India out | Prasidh Krishna (hamstring), Auqib Nabi, Ravindra Jadeja |
| West Indies in | Jewel Andrew, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie |
| West Indies out | Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Shamar Joseph |
India's three changes
Anshul Kamboj gets his ODI debut and received his cap from Virat Kohli. He flew in as the injury replacement for Prasidh Krishna, who picked up a hamstring strain in the Guwahati ODI, but he did not take Prasidh's place in the XI. That went to Mohammed Siraj, who sat out the first two ODIs. Kamboj instead replaces Auqib Nabi at No. 8, which Cricinfo reads as the management expecting him to be able to hit a few with the bat if needed.
Nitish Kumar Reddy comes in for Ravindra Jadeja, and that is the notable one. No reason beyond "left out" was given. Cricinfo points out that it is rare for India to play without either Jadeja or Axar Patel: setting aside the Afghanistan series earlier this year, the last time both missed the final XI was in January 2023, well before the last World Cup.
India XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Anshul Kamboj, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj.
West Indies' three changes
West Indies also make three changes. Jewel Andrew comes in at the top of the order, while Matthew Forde and Gudakesh Motie add to the attack, giving them two frontline spinners alongside Vitel Lawes. Keacy Carty, Roston Chase and Shamar Joseph make way. Captain Shai Hope said West Indies wanted to bowl first anyway, confirmed the three changes and spoke about wanting to be consistent with the bat.
West Indies XI: John Campbell, Jewel Andrew, Shai Hope (captain and wicketkeeper), Amir Jangoo, Sherfane Rutherford, Matthew Forde, Keemo Paul, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales, Vitel Lawes.
What Gill said, and how the series got here
Shubman Gill called the pitch a "beautiful surface" that "might assist bowlers at the start". On his bowling line-up he said: "Our bowling line-up is inexperienced, the more they play, the better." With Siraj back and Kamboj debuting, that attack has a fresh look for the decider.
India won the first ODI in Thiruvananthapuram on 27 September by 8 wickets, chasing 296 and getting there in 41.4 overs. In Guwahati on 30 September, West Indies posted 405/7 with three batters scoring hundreds, and India still chased it down in 43.3 overs, Gill finishing on 223 not out.
Pick your own attack
Jadeja out, Reddy in, and a debutant at No. 8: every XI is a set of trade-offs between batting depth and bowling options. BuildXI puts you in the same spot. You spin eleven real IPL squads from 2008 to 2025, take one player from each, and play a full season with the XI you end up with. The target is 14-0: fourteen league games, fourteen wins.