CUTTACK: As India and West Indies head into the ODI series decider at Cuttack’s Barabati Stadium on Sunday, they will have another rival to contend with. Dew generally becomes a factor in day-night games in this part of the country at this time of the year.
Considering that, the toss will be crucial since teams prefer batting second in such conditions when bowlers find it difficult to grip the ball which becomes wet.
Accordingly, players from the Indian team were seen using wet balls during their practice session on Saturday.
“It will be a bit difficult for the bowlers to grip the ball during the second innings. But this is common during the winter season in our country,” said India batsman Shreyas Iyer. So far in this series, the West Indies have batted second in both games.
While they chased down 288 in Chennai in the first ODI, the 387 that India posted after taking a heavy toll on their bowlers proved too steep a climb in Visakhapatnam.
“We will look to carry forward the momentum. We will try to create that magical moment so that it can affect the team in a positive way. Even the last game was a do-or-die affair for us with the series on the line. We will play with a similar mindset. When the stakes are high, I feel all the players pull up their socks, put their hands up,” said Iyer.
The West Indies, on the other hand, are looking to win a bilateral ODI series against a strong team for the first time after 2014, the year when they beat Bangladesh at home.
Their lone success in this period came against Afghanistan, just before the start of this series. Though the team is still relatively inexperienced and filled with new talent that has emerged from the Caribbean Premier League, they are hopeful of going back on a good note.
“Toss is not the only factor. In the last two matches, we won the toss but the results were different. I am expecting dew to play a role,” said West Indies Coach Phil Simmons.
“The Indians are the best in their condition. But I am confident that my team has all the potential to fight back. Our catching has to definitely improve.”