After Kohli’s masterclass in Hyderabad, it was Lendl Simmons’ turn to sizzle in Trivandrum as West Indies equalled the three-match series with ease. The caravan now moves to Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai.  India and West Indies have met each other 16 times across all T20Is. India have the upper hand here having won nine of these encounters.

In the last five T20Is, the hosts have a 4-1 lead over West Indies. In India, these two teams have met six times, where the scoreline again reads 4-2 in India’s favour. But West Indies have a good record at this venue having won both T20s they have played here and will be keen to finish with a series win.

Ground Details and Team Combination:

There have been six T20 international games played in Mumbai and with an average first innings score of 187, it is fair to say that batsmen have had a good time at this venue. Going by more recent numbers too, batsmen have been the dominant entity on this ground.  In the last two seasons of IPL, the average runs per wicket here reads a fairly high 28 while bowlers have managed to pick a wicket only every 19.5 balls. The batsmen have scored runs at a run rate of 8.6 during the aforementioned time period. Taking the statistics into account, we can expect another run-fest at our disposal.

While both pace and spin have suffered in equal measure here, fast bowlers have had the edge. In 16 matches since IPL 2018, fast bowlers have returned a wicket every 18.4 deliveries as compared to 26.8 by spinners.

Right-arm pacers have been the most effective breed here, having struck every 17.9 balls with left-arm pacers second on the list.

A combination of six frontline batsmen including the wicket-keeper, two all-rounders, one spinner and two seamers might be an ideal make of your side.

Captain Selection:

India’s loss at Trivandrum left Virat Kohli an unhappy man and that is never good news for the opposition. He did not score much either and will be itching to get back at West Indies in the third and final outing. What should further convince you to make Kohli the captain of your side is his record at Wankhede Stadium. In 12 T20 games at this venue, Kohli has 527 runs at an average of 75.29 and a strike-rate of 151.9. In case, Kohli gets stuck in, West Indies better watch out.

X-FACTORS:

Our first X-factor is Lendl Simmons. Simmons was exemplary in Trivandrum and a major reason behind West Indies’ comfortable win. Simmons’ numbers at Wankhede Stadium are also really good. His 82* against India in the semifinal of the 2016 T20 World Cup came at this very venue. In 14 T20 games here, he has 480 runs at an average of 125.7, which includes five half-centuries. He is one player who can single-handedly change the course of a match and help you gain important fantasy points.

Nicholas Pooran returned from his suspension in the second T20I and immediately showed why he is one of the most sought-after T20 players in world cricket now. His unbeaten 18-ball 38 dashed any hopes India had of making a comeback in Trivandrum and he will want to continue the run. In 36 innings in the shortest format of the game this year, Pooran has struck 1025 runs at a strike-rate of 149.2 and an average of 36.61. He can be the X-factor for West Indies and your fantasy team.

Our third X-factor is KL Rahul. Rahul has been consistent in T20s in 2019 and has carried that in the international circuit as well. In 30 T20s this year, Rahul has scored 1171 runs averaging 48.79 which includes 12 half-centuries and a ton. He was impressive in the Hyderabad T20I and will dearly want to make up for the failure in Trivandrum.  His record at Wankhede Stadium is also pretty good. Rahul averages 61.5 in five T20s at this venue which includes a half-century and a century.

Weather:

The weather is expected to be clear throughout the evening in Mumbai, on Wednesday with minimal chances of rain. The temperature will hover around the 27-degree mark on average. It is going to be humid so dew might come into play as the night progresses.

Suggested FanFight Team:

KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Kieron Pollard (vc), Shivam Dube, Yuzvendra Chahal, Deepak Chahar, Sheldon Cottrell