IND vs WI 3rd ODI in New Chandigarh on October 3; India have already sealed series

India face West Indies in the third and final ODI at New Chandigarh on Saturday, October 3, with the toss scheduled for 1:30 PM IST; India have already sealed the three-match series. The match will be the venue’s first men's ODI and carries selection interest as the 2027 ODI World Cup cycle gathers pace.

With the World Cup build-up under way, the decider is likely to be used to assess fringe players and bench strength for India. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Anshul Kamboj are part of India’s squad, while Naman Dhir and Gurnoor Brar have already featured in the series.

Naman Dhir, 26, made his international debut in the opening game but has yet to get an opportunity with the bat. "The thought of batting is always on your mind, no matter what game it is," Dhir said; he acknowledged wanting a chance in Guwahati but welcomed the team’s convincing win. Dhir’s selection followed a Sher-e-Punjab League campaign in which he scored 655 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 217, and his bowling—wicketless so far but with an economy rate of six—offers another route into India’s XI. "I spoke quite a bit with Jaddu bhai, and he gave me simple plans to bowl according to the batsman and what the match situation demands," he said.

West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has called for greater discipline from his bowlers after they conceded 406 in Guwahati, where Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill put on 255 for the opening wicket. "We still need to find ways when wickets are not really offering any assistance to the bowlers to be disciplined in our lines and lengths and the plans that we put in," Sammy said. He also noted West Indies were around 230 at the 30-over mark but managed only "70-odd runs in the final 10 overs," and said they could have pushed towards 450. "You've got to get wickets in the powerplay, get wickets in the middle, and build that pressure with a total that is over 400," Sammy said.

New Chandigarh will provide no ODI precedents for either side, meaning both teams must work out how the surface behaves over 50 overs. The expectation in the build-up is that batters should be able to play their shots while the surface could still offer assistance for bowlers who hit the right lengths. Sunny skies are expected at New Chandigarh for the start of play, with temperatures likely to touch 35 degrees Celsius or higher; the heat could make conditions challenging for bowlers, particularly if they are asked to bowl first at the PCA International Stadium.

India have added Anshul Kamboj to the squad in place of the injured Prasidh Krishna, but his inclusion in the XI is not certain. India might choose continuity while using the match to assess players who are part of their longer-term plans. For West Indies, John Campbell has done enough to retain his place at the top of the order, Keacy Carty has yet to make the desired impact, and the bowling options could change with Gudakesh Motie potentially returning for Vitel Lawes and Matthew Forde in contention to replace Keemo Paul.

INDIA'S PREDICTED XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (C), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Naman Dhir, Ravindra Jadeja, Auqib Nabi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Gurnoor Brar

WEST INDIES'S PREDICTED XI: John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope (C/WK), Amir Jangoo, Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Matthew Forde, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales, Gudakesh Motie

The third ODI will be played on Saturday, October 3, with the toss at 1:30 PM IST; live streaming will be available on the JioHotstar app and website and the match will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network in India.