WEST INDIES: The Indian side is once again proving their mettle in the shortest format of the game after defeating West Indies quite comfortably in the first T20I. The Indian team is looking ready for the upcoming T20I World Cup, and they would like to avenge their performance from last year, when they were eliminated from the group stage of the T20I World Cup.
India used to completely depend on their top three, to the point where Virat Kohli once rolled his eyes at the thought of ever dropping Rohit Sharma. Now, to mix things up, India is front-loading their finishers. In England, Rishabh Pant served as the opener whereas in the first T20I match of this series, Suryakumar Yadav opened the innings with Indian skipper Rohit Sharma.
Arshdeep Singh forced his way into the XI purely to bowl his astonishingly difficult-to-hit yorkers at the end, and Dinesh Karthik pretty much nailed his spot as the 12-ball 38-not-out person, showing that India has warmed up to the concept of selecting super-specialists. The world we live in today is brand-new.
In the meantime, West Indies is still figuring out where they fit in. They possess the potential to be another world-beating side, but they are unable to fill the void created by their former key players who helped them to win the T20I World Cup twice.
So regardless of the outcome, it might be said that playing against such formidable opposition is simply fostering the emergence of the next generation of the Caribbean class. They did, however, sort of dominate the first 15 overs of the first T20I, and given that a series is on the line, these prospective superstars will feel that their own time is not too far off.
Players to watch out
Harshal Patel: The need for three spinners in Tarouba necessitated the substitution of Harshal Patel. He might, though, make his way back into the starting XI now that the T20 caravan has relocated to Basseterre. In the death overs, the 31-year-old seamer has a remarkable aptitude for bowling the exact ball that batsmen don’t want to face, and a captain will be quite happy to have someone like that in their side.
Kyle Mayers: He is never too distant from the spotlight thanks to his all-round talent. He also qualifies as the kind of player who can define a cricket match because he opens the innings for the West Indies. He has previously succeeded in the most difficult format of the game—recall Chittagong 2021—so mastering T20 cricket shouldn’t be that difficult.
Squad Status
Due to US visa appointments, Brandon King and Romario Shepherd will be back in the West Indies playing XI after missing the first T20I. Additionally, West Indies’ decision to field just one spinner in Tarouba flopped, so they may be tempted to consider bringing in Hayden Walsh Jr. on Monday.
West Indies: 1. Kyle Mayers, 2. Brandon King, 3. Nicholas Pooran (capt & wk), 4. Jason Holder, 5. Rovman Powell, 6. Shimron Hetmyer, 7. Romario Shepherd, 8. Akeal Hosein, 9. Keemo Paul/Hayden Walsh Jr, 10. Alzarri Joseph, 11. Obed McCoy.
Will India again require all three spinners in Basseterre? India rarely changes a victorious lineup, especially when a series is still in progress. The quicks have only averaged 17 and have grabbed 71 wickets in these 10 games.
India: 1. Rohit Sharma (capt), 2. Suryakumar Yadav, 3. Shreyas Iyer, 4. Rishabh Pant (wk), 5. Hardik Pandya, 6. Ravindra Jadeja, 7. Dinesh Karthik, 8. R Ashwin, 9. Ravi Bishnoi/Harshal Patel, 10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11. Arshdeep Singh.
Also Read: India vs West Indies: 1st T20I Preview
