Indian skipper Mamta Maben during practice at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday. Picture by Santosh Ghosh

Calcutta: Even as the focus of this cricket-obsessed city was trained on Team India’s selection for the revival series in Pakistan, the women players of India and the West Indies slipped into the city for the third one-day International.

Just to set the facts right, the middle game of the five-match series takes place at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday. The hosts are sitting pretty, having won in Dhanbad and Jamshedpur.

So complete was the Indian domination in the first two matches, it is difficult to visualise the visitors turning the tables at the Eden. “We have been playing well… We want to wrap up the series tomorrow itself,” Indian skipper Mamta Maben commented after the match-eve nets session.

The Bangalore allrounder didn’t, however, subscribe to the theory that her team was over-confident. “That’s why we will go into the match with our best XI, experimentation can wait till we seal the series,” Maben said.

With world record-holder Mithali Raj — who missed the Jamshedpur match after being hit during practice — having recovered, there will be a forced change in the Indian line-up. The vice-captain will be back in the XI, possibly in place of Arundhati Kirkere.

Opening batswomen Anju Jain and Jaya Sharma have been in fine nick for the Indians. They have stitched together century stands in both the matches. Sharma, a copybook player, missed her hundred by only three runs in Dhanbad, before coming up with a 78 in Jamshedpur. Jain has also struck twin half-centuries.

They will have to get their act together once more if the Indians wish to seal up the series here itself.

The West Indians have problems galore, though captain Stephanie Power presented a brave face in front of the media. If tackling the Indian spinners and curbing their prolific batswomen are West Indies’ primary concerns, Power’s health is a major worry too.

The captain missed more than half the Jamshedpur tie after suffering from dehydration. She had to be taken to hospital and put on drip. “I’m much better now and hope to play tomorrow,” Power said, though there was a feeling that she may not be in a position to take the field with the temperature and humidity rising every day.

It was left-arm spinner Neetu David who tormented the visitors in the first two games with returns of four for 29 and five for 20. Off-spinner Diana David chipped in with two wickets each. “We now know how to face the spinners… we’ll try to put up a better batting show and beat India,” said Power.

That sounds highly optimistic, considering the fact that only two West Indians have been among the runs so far — openers Nadine George and Nelly Williams. The free-stroking George and the solid Williams put on 63 and 84 for the first wicket before the rest caved in at Dhanbad and Jamshedpur.

TEAMS

India (likely): Mamta Maben (captain), Mithali Raj, Anju Jain, Anjum Chopra, Jaya Sharma, Hemlata Kala, Amita Sharma, Nooshin al Kadir, Neetu David, Deepa Kulkarni, Diana David.

West Indies (from): Stephanie Power (captain), Nelly Williams, Juliano Nero, Clea Hoyte, Candecy Atkins, Nadine George, Verena Felecian, Felicia Cummins, Anisa Mohammed, Shane De Silva, Doris Francis, Debbie Ann Lewis, Fillipa Thomas, Indomatie Goordial, Envis Williams.

Umpires: Aloke Bhattacharya, Susanta Pathak