Playing in front of a home crowd is always special for a cricketer, even more so when one is privileged to lead the team. Add to this the player being in the form of their life, and the already sky-high expectations will reach stratospheric levels.
The 27-year-old torn the West Indies bowling attack into smithereens with his 110 in Thiruvananthapuram before smashing a spectacular unbeaten 223 in Guwahati, where he made a mockery of a 406-run target. While a 3-0 scoreline would be ideal, the skipper will know that every game his side plays over the next year is not merely about winning, but also about taking crucial preparatory steps towards the 2027 ODI World Cup. Match starts at 2.00 p.m.
In that context, it won’t be surprising if the home team makes some changes to test its bench strength. Now that Prasidh Krishna is out due to injury, the management might be tempted to give the Hyderabad pacer a chance to regain form. The India captain has been instrumental in the Men in Blue sealing the series with match-winning knocks in the first two games. Mohammed Siraj has had a tough last few months, with sub-par performances in the Sri Lanka Tests against the Duleep Trophy final.
That is what awaits Shubman Gill when he marches his men into the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium for the third and final ODI against West Indies here on Saturday.