IND vs WI: India's Predicted Playing XI Against West Indies, 1st T20I

India takes on the West Indies in the first of the five-match T20I series in Tarouba, Trinidad on July 27. The Men in Blue won the ODDI series against the Windies 3-0 and will head into this series as the number one ranked T20I side. Windies are placed sixth on the rankings table. The final two games of the series will be played in Lauderhill, Florida.

Rohit Sharma, who was rested from the T20I series will come back to lead the side in the T20Is. Alongside whim Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav also come back to the side. Ravindra Jadeja after missing out on the T20Is is expected to get a game in the T20Is. KL Rahul is down with covid and will miss the series.

The T20I series comes as a big opportunity for the fringe players in the side who are included in the side to stake a claim for T20 World Cup selection. In this article, we take a look at India’s predicted playing XI in the first T20I against West Indies.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

IND vs WI: India’s Predicted Playing XI Against West Indies, 1st T20I

Rohit Sharma (C)

Rohit will open the batting in the first T20I against West Indies. He was in good knick in the series against West Indies. Against West Indies, he has scored over 500 runs and has a good record against them particularly.

Also Read: 5 Indian Players Who Can Retire From T20Is After ICC T20 World Cup 2022

Rishabh Pant (WK)

Pant has opened the batting a few times in T20I cricket and can do the same in this series as well. He was also in good touch against England throughout the white-ball series. Pant can open the batting alongside Rohit Sharma.

Shreyas Iyer

Iyer had a decent series against England and West Indies in the ODIs. He will take up the number three spot in the absence of Virat Kohli.

Suryakumar Yadav

SKY had a series to forget against West Indies. However, he was in good touch against England. He recently notched up his maiden T20I ton for India and will take up the number four slot.

Hardik Pandya

Pandya will return to the side after being rested in the ODI series against West Indies. He is key to India’s team combination ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia. He has returned fitter and stronger to the Indian team. He will bat at five.

Ravindra Jadeja / Deepak Hooda

Jadeja missed the ODI series against West Indies with an injury. If he gets fit in time for the first T20I, he should slot in at number six. In case he doesn’t, Deepak Hooda can be the second all-rounder in the XI.

Dinesh Karthik

Karthik has been a part of the Indian T20I squad since the South Africa series at home. He was retained in the series against England and now against West Indies. He will slot in at number seven as India’s designated finisher.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvi will return to the playing XI to lead the Indian attack. He has been a part of India’s T20I side consistently for a few years now.

Arshdeep Singh

Given that it’s a five-match T20I series, there is a lot of scope for experiments within the India team. The left-arm pacer can be chosen ahead of Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan for the first T20I.

Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav can replace Yuzvedra Chahal in the playing XI with the latter being rested from this T20I series against West Indies. He is one of India’s most successful spinners in the format.

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin has been recalled into the Indian T20I side for the upcoming series. Given that the Windies side has a few left-handers, he will be a better option than Ravi Bishnoi in flat batting conditions.

Also Read: India Rewarded For Its Strong ODI Performance In The ICC ODI Rankings