India vs West Indies 2019: India Favourites Against West Indies In T20I Opener

India and West Indies are equally strong teams when it comes to T20Is. Though both the sides have all the tools to get the better of the other, India have managed to get on top on most occasions than the Caribbeans. The teams will kick-start their rivalry in the three-match T20I series starting tomorrow. The fans could expect a massive contest between the two sides.

The Men in Blues, however, will enter the series as strong favourites at home. The Indian team has been unstoppable since the semi-final exit from ICC World Cup 2019. Their most recent success came against Bangladesh as the hosts won 2-1 and 2-0 in T20I series and two-match Test series respectively. Virat Kohli & Co have already hammered West Indies across formats in overseas.

What's with #TeamIndia's new training drill? ?? pic.twitter.com/4Z04DOvRIi

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 4, 2019

Read More: India’s Predicted Playing XI

On the other side of the spectrum, West Indies have been here in Lucknow for their recently-concluded series against Afghanistan, winning the three-match ODI series by 3-0 and T20I series by 2-1 respectively. The Jason Holder-led team thrashed Afghans even in the one-off Test and would be looking forward to executing their tactical plans in the limited-overs series against India.

Match details:

Date: December 6, 2019 (Friday)

Time: 7:00 PM (IST)

Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

Weather report

In delightful news for the cricket fans, there was no rain on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the newly-elected HCA body, chaired by former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin, is expecting improved weather in the next three days.

Read More: West Indies’ Predicted Playing XI

Pitch Report

The bowlers will get benefited to the conditions as it offers uneven bounce on the pitch considering the fact that the dew coming in the second half of the game. It is worth mentioning here that the Hyderabad pitch saw few world-class batsmen setting the stadium on fire by piling up runs. The fans could expect a spectacle on Friday.

Head-to-head stats

India and West Indies have played 14 games against each other and India have a better winning record against the Caribbeans. The Men in Blue have won 8 games whereas the Men in Maroon have won 5 games with one no-result.

Predicted XI

India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

West Indies: Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Brandon King, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard (c), Jason Holder, Keemo Paul, Williams, Sheldon Cottrell, Hayden Walsh Jr

Match Prediction

India and West Indies, in the past, have produced some thrilling contest and the first T20I in Hyderabad will be nothing short of another spectacle. The Caribbeans have been in India for over a month now playing against Afghanistan and have got a good hang of the conditions. Moreover, they will be desperate to put up a better show after humiliating defeats earlier this year.

But, the Men in Blues, with the quality they possess on their ranks, looks like to clear cut winner ahead of the game. With the conditions suitable to the game India play, they are likely to go 1-0 up in Hyderabad.