India vs Windies, 1st T20I - India Predicted XI

India and Windies are set to fight it out in the first T20I at the iconic Eden Gardens after a hard-fought ODI series. The home side has rested two of its best players, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni while Rohit Sharma will take over the mantle of the team. This series is also an opportunity for the young players to put their hand up keeping in mind the World T20 in 2020.

Windies, after losing both the series on this tour, will be keen to turn things around in their most favoured format. They are the World Champions and no wonder they start as the favourites for a change. Nevertheless, India also have enough firepower in them to stun the opponents and some proven performers have got an opportunity to showcase their talent.

Here we take a look at India’s predicted XI for the series opener:

Openers (Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan)

When it comes to the limited-overs formats, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are the best in the world at the moment. The duo is known to tear apart any bowling attack on their day and in the absence of Virat, they will be tipped to score big. Dhawan, especially, will be hoping to make amends after a poor ODI series.

Rohit is in exceptional form and no one can deny his ability to take the game away from the opposition on any given day. With the added responsibility, he is deemed even more dangerous and it will be a mouth-watering prospect to watch him bat at the Eden Gardens.

Middle-Order (KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant(wk)

KL Rahul will finally get his chance in this game after warming the bench during the ODIs. He will definitely be keen to make a statement despite the fact that this is a different format. Dinesh Karthik’s heroics in the Nidahas Trophy can never be forgotten and warrants a place in the XI. He is the experienced cricketer and will guide the team through when needed the most.

Manish Pandey’s case is also same as Rahul. He played only a solitary game in the Asia Cup and failed in it. Though this comes as a golden chance for him to show what he can offer in the middle-order if put under the radar. Rishabh Pant is expected to don the gloves as he is in the plans for the ODI World Cup next year. His explosive batting can leave any bowling attack in disarray and his finishing skills will be crucial.

All-Rounder (Krunal Pandya)

This spot has been locked by Pandya family it seems. When Hardik Pandya is not playing, his brother Krunal Pandya will look to shine on his international debut. His left-arm spin bowling and his ability to tonk the ball a long way makes him the most valuable player. It will be interesting to see if he will be able to convert his IPL form at the highest level.

Bowlers (Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal)

The same quartet of the specialist bowlers will take the field in Kolkata for the series opener which skittled the Windies in the ODIs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are bowling like veterans now and one can never keep the wrist spinners out of the game. It will be an interesting battle as the Caribbean batsmen will be looking to put them under pressure from the word go.

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