With a squad that covers all bases, Rohit Sharma’s India might spring in a few surprises against West Indies in the T20I opener at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
India will be looking to follow up their 3-0 ODI series sweep against the West Indies with a good start in the three-match T20I series that begins on Wednesday. The series will be played entirely at Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens.
Bowling was India’s strength in the ODI series. While the hosts failed to cross 300 in both matches in which they batted first, they dismissed the West Indies for 176 in the first ODI, 193 in the second, and 169 in the third.
Here is a look at the predicted playing XI for India:
1 Rohit Sharma The Indian captain was one of the few batters who managed to score a half-century in the ODI series. However, he was dismissed for just five and 13 runs in the second and third ODI after scoring 60 in the first.
2 Ishan Kishan With KL Rahul being ruled out for the T20I series with a hamstring injury, Ishan Kishan could be seen opening the Indian innings. While Ruturaj Gaikwad is also in the squad, Kishan seems to be placed above him in the pecking order and could be given a chance in the T20Is despite being dropped for the second and third ODIs after his 36-ball 28 in the first.
3 Virat Kohli The former captain scored just 26 runs in the ODI series and India will be hoping that he finds some kind of form in the T20Is. Kohli
4 Rishabh Pant Pant will be vice-captain of the team in Rahul’s absence. He was the second-highest run-scorer in the ODI series, even being experimented as an opener with Rohit.
5 Suryakumar Yadav The middle-order batter finished as the highest run-scorer in the ODI series and is expected to be a regular in all three T20Is. He scored 104 runs in the series with the highest score of 64.
6 Shreyas Iyer Iyer scored 80 runs in the third ODI, which was the only match he played in the series, coming in at No.4. It was his 110-run stand with Pant that set up the match for India after they were reduced to 42/3 in the first 10 overs.
7 Deepak Chahar The fast bowler’s ability with the bat makes him a valuable asset in the lower order and he remains one of the most lethal bowlers around in the shortest format. Like Suryakumar, Chahar could be a regular in the T20I series as well.
8 Shardul Thakur Shardul Thakur was recently brought for a massive ₹10.75 crore by Delhi Capitals and despite being a partnership breaker, India would hope the all-rounder, along with Chahar, can provide late fireworks if it comes down to it.
9 Kuldeep Yadav With Ravindra Jadeja still out of the squad, and Axar yet to recover entirely, Kuldeep could be picked as the spin-bowling all-rounder for the series. With the spin-friendly conditions in Kolkata, it is likely that India will opt for a chinaman bowler over a seamer.
0 Yuzvendra Chahal We might finally get to witness the reunion of ‘Kul-Cha’. Yuzvendra Chahal was impressive in the ODIs against West Indies and with Kuldeep, Chahal can recreate the magic which once made both wrist-spinners a big threat in limited-overs cricket for India.
11 Mohammed Siraj The pacer was one of the star performers for India in the third ODI, picking three wickets for 29 runs as India dismissed West Indies for just 169 runs. He picked a wicket each in the first two ODIs.
India predicted XI for 1st T20I: 1 Rohit Sharma (captain), 2 Ishan Kishan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), 5 Suryakumar Yadav, 6 Shreyas Iyer, 7 Deepak Chahar, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Mohammed Siraj
