IND vs WI: Three changes India could consider for 3rd T20I in Ranchi
West Indies beat India by six wickets in the second T20I of the five-match series at JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Friday, after India posted 249 for five. The result levelled the series at 1-1.
India reached 249 for five after a strong top- and middle-order showing: Abhishek Sharma (20) and Sanju Samson (82) combined for 42 runs in the first four overs, while Ishan Kishan (43) added 97 for the second wicket. Samson produced a half-century, and a later 83-run partnership between Shreyas Iyer (40) and Tilak Varma (44*) took India to their final total.
West Indies lost Kamil Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer in the first over and were 58 for three after Rovman Powell (24) was dismissed inside the powerplay. Shai Hope (102*) and Sherfane Rutherford (84) then shared a 120-run fourth-wicket stand, with Romario Shepherd (34*) contributing as West Indies completed the chase with six wickets in hand.
One change India could make is to rest Abhishek Sharma, who has been continuously playing T20Is, and give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a top-order opportunity; Sooryavanshi had a good IPL 2026 season and could add aggression in the powerplay.
Another option is to rest Axar Patel, who played a pivotal role in India’s gold medal-winning campaign at the Asian Games 2026 and remains a key spin-bowling all-rounder but struggled in the last game; Nitish Kumar Reddy could be brought in, having not had a strong ODI series against West Indies and potentially offering an additional pace-bowling option given India are playing with two specialist fast bowlers.
India could also consider resting Mayank Yadav, who was expensive in the first T20I but took three wickets in the second and has been injury prone, and hand a chance to Prince Yadav, who can bowl with the new ball and at the death; with the series at 1-1, the third T20I could be used to assess him.
The IND vs WI 3rd T20I will be played on Sunday, October 11, 2026, in Ranchi. It will be the third match of the five-match T20I series.