Samson in place of Kishan, three debuts, Chahal or Kuldeep?: India’s likely XI for 1st T20I vs West Indies
India probable XI vs West Indies, 1st T20I: The Tests and ODIs are done and we now move to the T20Is, a format which is likely to provide a more balanced between India and West Indies. While India still appear a much stronger unit, the return of key players such as Rovman Powell, and Nicholas Pooran will definitely give West Indies a fair chance and add some life to what has otherwise been one-way traffic so far. India would have swept the Test series if it wasn’t for rain on Day 5 of the final match and barring the hiccup in the second ODI, they were pretty dominant in the 50-over format, winning the series 2-1.
India probable XI vs West Indies(AP)
With the focus being on future, the management has kept senior pros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli aside from the plans, giving emerging talents a chance to prepare for the big stage.
With the ODI World Cup also fast approaching and fresh reports of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer missing the Asia Cup emerging, the management would be careful in managing the workload to avoid any further losses.
Ishan Kishan, who was named Player of the Series in the ODIs, can be asked to sit out due to his continuous run. The southpaw featured in all the matches India have played so far in the tour. If that is the case we can see Sanju Samson don the gloves. Samson played some clean shots in the final ODI, sending the ball over the fence on four occasions. He would look to carry on with the momentum despite a change in the format and present a case for himself for a spot in the ODI World Cup squad.
As many as three debuts likely for India in 1st T20I vs West Indies
With the focus being on youth, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had an outstanding IPL season and followed it up with a scintillating show in the Tests, is likely to make his T20I debut. The team is likely to stick with the left-right opening combination and what could be a more lethal option than Yashasvi and Shubman Gill firing all guns from the word go?
With the team packed with youth, Suryakumar Yadav, who is also the vice-captain, will have to do the heavy lifting in the middle-order. He’ll find ample support from skipper Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel, two of the most experienced members of the squad.
The management could also hand a debut to Tilak Varma to further strengthen their batting front. Despite accumulating 343 runs in 11 matches Varma made quite an impact with his strokeplay in IPL 2023. He scored an unbeaten 84 off 46 balls in Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2023 opener and a 17-ball 37 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Impressed with his performance, MI skipper Rohit Sharma and former coach Ravi Shastri had predicted the youngster to play for India soon and Thursday could be the day.
Yuzvendra Chahal, who is yet to get a chance in the tour, can be operated in the spin department, with Axar being the other slow bowling option. Chahal, however, will face tough competition from Kuldeep Yadav, who played all three ODIs and did a splendid job.
Mukesh Kumar, who rattled the West Indies top-order in the final ODI, is likely to spearhead the pace attack alongside Arshdeep Singh.
Umran Malik leaking runs in the ODIs could force management to consider Avesh Khan in the XI as the third seam option, with skipper Pandya also being available at dispense if the need arises.
India probable XI vs West Indies, 1st T20I:
Openers: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill
Top and middle-order: Suryakumar Yadav (vc), Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya (c), Axar Patel
Spinner: Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep Yadav
Pacers: Mukesh Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan/Umran Malik
