Toss Report
India's decision to bat first was driven by their confidence in the batting lineup. Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill opened the innings, aiming to provide a solid start. Hardik Pandya led the team in the absence of regular captain Rohit Sharma. The Indian team management believed that a score in the range of 150-160 could be competitive on the pitch, given its tendency to assist spinners.
India (Playing XI): Ishan Kishan(w), Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Ravi Bishnoi
West Indies captain Rovman Powell expressed confidence in his team's batting unit, emphasizing the importance of not losing wickets in clusters. The West Indies team remained unchanged from their previous game, aiming to capitalize on their strong performance.
West Indies (Playing XI): Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran(w), Rovman Powell(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy
Pitch and Weather Conditions
The Providence Stadium pitch had a bit of light grass, indicating possible assistance for seamers in the early overs. However, recent history suggested that spinners would be the key to success on this surface. Both teams were aware of this factor, and it prompted India to bring in Ravi Bishnoi as Kuldeep Yadav's replacement.
The weather forecast initially raised concerns about possible rain interruptions, but luckily, the match proceeded without any disturbances, offering fans a full and uninterrupted game of cricket.
Both Team Captains At The Toss
Powell: Looks a pretty good surface and hopefully gets better as the day goes along. We didn't lose wickets in clusters in the last game which was good to see. We have grown as players and it is about continuing to do the right things and keep improving as a batting unit. We are going with the same team.
Hardik: We will bat first, surface looks good. We will put good score on the board. I don't think we did much wrong in the last game, we spoke about it and the focus is to learn and keep going ahead. When we have these totals (chasing 9 or 10 an over), you gotta keep wickets in hand and that's what happened in the last game where we lost a couple of wickets during crunch moments. We have a forced change. Kuldeep got a hit on the hand yesterday in the nets, it is not serious and just a precautionary measure. Ravi Bishnoi comes in place of him.