Lagatar24 Desk
Kolkata, Feb 16: India to face West Indies in the 1st T20I match that will be played on 16th February at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
This bilateral T20I series will be played over three games, with all three games taking place at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. In this series, Kieron Pollard will captain the West Indies team, while Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian team. Both teams have relatively healthy squads, and another exciting matchup is expected between the two teams.
In Rohit Sharma’s first full season as a full-time white-ball skipper, India swept the West Indies 3-0, yet even the most ardent Team India supporters would concede that the limited-overs setup has a number of gaps to fix. Despite India’s overwhelming performance in the ODIs barely a week ago, one is likely to think twice before banking on them to replicate the feat in the T20I series, which begins on Wednesday in Kolkata. It’s partly due to the West Indies’ reputation for doing considerably better in T20Is than in other forms, but it’s also due to India’s recent mediocre form in the shortest format.
Meanwhile, KL Rahul injured his hamstring in the second ODI of the three-match series against the West Indies and will miss the T20I series.
Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the T20I series after suffering a left hamstring muscle strain during fielding in the third ODI against the West Indies. In this situation, Rohit Sharma Likely To Pick A Debutant.
Talking about the pitch, on the majority of instances, the Eden Gardens has offered balanced tracks. Early on, the pacers will be able to extract swing from the wicket, while the spinners will have something to contend with. Batters can breathe easier later on and play shots towards the conclusion of the innings if they take it easy in the early overs.
India vs West Indies Probable XIs for 1st T20I:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel
West Indies: Kieron Pollard (c), Fabian Allen, Nkrumah Bonner, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Kemar Roach, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Hayden Walsh.
