Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mohammed Siraj return to India’s XI as Shubman Gill opts to bat first after winning the toss in New Chandigarh
New Chandigarh, Oct 2026 : India handed a debut to young all-rounder Anshul Kamboj while Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mohammed Siraj returned to the playing XI for the third and final ODI against the West Indies at the New PCA Stadium on Saturday.
Captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bat first as India looked to complete a 3-0 series sweep. The hosts have already secured an unassailable 2-0 lead after winning the opening two matches.
Kamboj was drafted into the squad after being released from India A’s second four-day match against Australia A in Puducherry. He was called up following the injury-forced withdrawal of Prasidh Krishna, who sustained a left hamstring injury during the second ODI in Guwahati.
Nitish Kumar Reddy and Siraj replaced Ravindra Jadeja and Auqib Nabi in the Indian XI for the series finale.
Speaking after winning his third consecutive toss in the series, Gill said the pitch appeared favourable for batting but acknowledged that India’s bowling had not always been consistent.
“It’s a beautiful surface, going to be a good wicket to bat on. Our batting has been good, bowling has been a concern at times,” Gill said.
The Indian captain stressed the importance of improving in the bowling department, particularly with an inexperienced attack.
“We need to keep trying and be better. Fifteen to 20 runs make a huge difference. I think the more we play, it is better as our bowling is inexperienced. That will make a huge difference for us,” he added.
West Indies captain Shai Hope said his side would look for greater consistency with the bat while also improving their execution with the ball.
The visitors made three changes to their team, bringing in Jewel Andrew, Matthew Forde and Gudakesh Motie in place of Keacy Carty, Roston Chase and Shamar Joseph.
“I just want to be consistent with the bat. I thought we’ve been playing some really good cricket in the batting side of things. It’s just about being a little bit better with the ball and executing more on our plans,” Hope said.
He added that the West Indies’ young players had benefited from touring India and facing a strong Indian side.
“When you come to India, you want to play against the best teams in the world and they really embraced it. I can see the effort they fight and it’s good to see they’re learning a lot in the short space of time,” Hope said.
India’s playing XI featured Rohit Sharma, Gill, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Kamboj, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Gurnoor Brar.
The West Indies XI comprised John Campbell, Jewel Andrew, Hope, Amir Jangoo, Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Forde, Alzarri Joseph, Motie, Jayden Seales and Vitel Lawes.
With the series already decided, India entered the final match seeking a clean sweep, while the West Indies looked to finish the tour with a consolation victory.
