After a 501-run slugfest in Ranchi left the five-match series level at 1-1, India and West Indies now head to Indore for the third T20I on Sunday, October 11. The game at the Holkar Stadium starts at 7 pm IST, and on a ground famous for short boundaries and big totals, Shreyas Iyer's side will be desperate to stop the bleeding after watching their 249/5 get chased down with nine balls to spare.
How the series got here
The opening game in Lucknow on October 6 went exactly to script for the hosts. India held West Indies to 171, then knocked off the target of 172 in just 14.4 overs, with captain Shreyas Iyer finishing unbeaten on a maiden T20I hundred. It looked like the start of another one-sided home series.
Ranchi flipped that story on its head. Sanju Samson's 82 off 41 balls, along with quick cameos from Ishan Kishan (43 off 22), Shreyas Iyer (40 off 18) and Tilak Varma (44* off 18), pushed India to 249/5. Most nights that is a match-winning total. Instead, Shai Hope smashed an unbeaten 102 off 45 balls, Sherfane Rutherford hit 84 off 37, and Romario Shepherd closed it out with 34* off 13 as West Indies reached 252/4 in 18.3 overs. It was the visitors' highest successful T20I chase and ended India's 10-match winning streak in the format.
Match details at a glance
| Match | India vs West Indies, 3rd T20I (of 5) |
| Date | Sunday, October 11, 2026 |
| Time | 7:00 pm IST (toss 6:30 pm) |
| Venue | Holkar Stadium, Indore |
| Series | Level 1-1 |
| Captains | Shreyas Iyer (India), Shai Hope (West Indies) |
| Remaining games | Hyderabad (Oct 14), Bengaluru (Oct 17) |
Indore pitch report: expect fireworks again
The Holkar Stadium has a reputation that bowlers dread. Its straight boundaries are among the shortest of any international venue in India, the outfield is lightning quick, and the surface usually offers true bounce. The ground has hosted four men's T20Is so far, and the average first-innings score is around 200. Two of those matches were won by the team batting first and two by the chasing side, so there is no clear toss advantage on paper.
That said, mid-October evenings in central India can bring dew, and after what happened in Ranchi, both captains may prefer to chase. Wet-ball conditions make life very hard for spinners like Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel in the second innings, and gripping the ball for slower deliveries becomes a lottery for seamers too.
The bowling question for India
India's biggest worry after Ranchi is not the batting. It is the death bowling. Mayank Yadav picked up three wickets but went for 36, and the rest of the attack struggled to stop Hope and Rutherford once they got going. On a smaller ground like Indore, any length that drifts into the slot will disappear. Expect the team management to think hard about the balance, possibly using Shivam Dube or Nitish Kumar Reddy for a few overs to give an extra option, and to lean on Arshdeep Singh's yorkers at the end.
Key players to watch
India
- Shreyas Iyer – The captain has been in superb touch, with a century in Lucknow and a brisk 40 in Ranchi. He recently climbed to seventh in the ICC men's T20I batting rankings.
- Sanju Samson – Coming off an 82 that showed him at his destructive best. On Indore's short boundaries, he can take the game away in the powerplay.
- Arshdeep Singh – India's most reliable death bowler will be key to keeping a lid on the West Indies power hitters in the last five overs.
West Indies
- Shai Hope – The captain's 45-ball hundred turned the series. He bats with calm and has every shot in the book.
- Sherfane Rutherford – His 84 off 37 showed how quickly he can change a chase. India will want to target him early with pace.
- Roston Chase – Took 3/24 in Ranchi on a night when everyone else went for plenty. His off-spin could be just as useful in Indore.
Possible playing XIs
Neither side has announced its XI, and both teams have been rotating options through the series. Based on recent selections, these are the likely line-ups:
India (probable): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Mayank Yadav.
West Indies (probable): Shai Hope (c, wk), Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Gudakesh Motie, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Springer, Shamar Joseph.
What this game means
With only five matches in the series, Sunday's winner takes a 2-1 lead and gets one hand on the trophy. For India, it is also about answering questions ahead of a busy season. Young players like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi are waiting in the squad, and the selectors will be watching how this group handles pressure after a rare defeat at home.
For West Indies, the Ranchi win was proof that their power-hitting line-up can match India's on any surface. If Hope and company bring the same intent to Indore, fans should prepare for another high-scoring thriller on a ground built for sixes.
Where to watch
The series is being broadcast on the Star Sports network on TV, with live streaming on JioHotstar.
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