West Indies chose to bowl first in the third T20I at Indore with the series level at 1-1, while India dropped Kuldeep Yadav for the small boundaries and brought in Prince Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
West Indies won the toss and chose to bowl first against India in the third T20I at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Sunday 11 October 2026, ESPNcricinfo reported, with the five-match series level at 1-1. Every match on this tour so far has been won by the side batting second, so Shai Hope's call needed no second thought.
| At a glance | Detail |
|---|---|
| Match | India v West Indies, 3rd T20I, Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, 11 October 2026 |
| Series | Level 1-1: India won the opener in Lucknow by eight wickets, West Indies then chased down 250 in Ranchi, their highest T20I chase |
| Toss | West Indies won the toss and chose to bowl; the chasing side has won every match on this tour |
| India's changes | Prince Yadav for Kuldeep Yadav; Nitish Kumar Reddy for Shivam Dube |
| West Indies' changes | Quentin Sampson for Romario Shepherd (forced); Keemo Paul for Akeal Hosein |
| Conditions | Small boundaries and a batting-friendly pitch at Indore, with dew expected later in the evening |
India trade spin for pace
Kuldeep Yadav was left out because, on Indore's small boundaries, India felt they could not carry two wrist-spinners in these conditions. Prince Yadav comes in for him, while Nitish Kumar Reddy replaces Shivam Dube in a like-for-like switch. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to wait on the bench.
West Indies forced into two changes
Romario Shepherd was forced out after he could not finish his spell in the second T20I in Ranchi, although he did come out to bat. Quentin Sampson replaces him. Like India, the visitors swapped a spinner for a seamer, with Akeal Hosein making way for seam-bowling all-rounder Keemo Paul.
Why bowl first
Indore is famous for short boundaries and high scores, and dew was expected later in the evening. On this tour the chasers have had it all their own way, most memorably when West Indies hunted down 250 in Ranchi. Hope is backing the same script: bowl first, keep the target in sight, and cash in under lights.
- India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (capt.), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh.
- West Indies: Shai Hope (capt. & wk), Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Roston Chase, Shamar Springer, Keemo Paul, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie.
Details are from the ESPNcricinfo toss report and the full playing XIs. Read the full story on Cricinfo. Cricinfo.
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