INDvWI, Only T20 – India Predicted XI

As the short tour of West Indies is about to come to a halt, cricket pundits are not pleased with Rishabh Pant not getting a game. He might get his chance in this final game, a T20 game at the Sabina Park in Jamaica. The Indian team has a few selection worries that they will have to ponder upon.

Shikhar Dhawan’s indifferent form might prompt India to leave him out for this encounter. Skipper Virat Kohli is likely to open the batting alongside Ajinkya Rahane, who has been in stupendous form in this tour. The Indian skipper opened during India’s last T20 assignment against England but could manage to score just 52 runs in 3 innings. Given that he opens for RCB in the IPL, the 28-year old wouldn’t hesitate to do it at the international level too. With Kohli opening, India can fit Pant in the middle order.

Gayle’s return to the West Indies squad has given a different vibe to this game. The ‘universal boss’ will be playing a T20 for the first time at his home ground. The inclusion of Marlon Samuels and Kieron Pollard gives them experience in the middle order. West Indies are the current world champions in this format and are expected to go hard against the visitors in this game.

Below is the Predicted XI for the Indian team:

Openers (Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli)

Rahane was given the Player of the Series award for his fantastic run in the 5-match ODI series. The Mumbaikar needs to carry the form into this game and provide a brisk start. He has coped with the spongy bounce in the Caribbean well by using the cut and pull shots to his advantage. The 29-year old must not take his foot away from the pedal for he still has to do a lot to cement his position in the limited overs format.

Kohli had two failures in the series but managed to score 244 runs in 5 innings at 81.33. He looks set to walk out with Rahane to open the innings, a position he is very familiar with in this format. Kohli must look to bat until the end which will allow the power hitters to express themselves.

Middle Order (Rishabh Pant, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav)

Rishabh Pant is bound to play this game. If he doesn’t, it will be a devastating blow for the youngster who has carried drinks throughout the series. He usually is a top order batsman, especially in this form of the game but might have to play at No. 6 or 7. He is ideally suited to bat at No. 3, given then dynamics of the team at the moment.

Yuvraj Singh missed the last two games due to a minor niggle. Dinesh Karthik came in and notched up a solid unbeaten fifty in the last ODI but Yuvraj is expected to walk back into the team. The southpaw, in 3 outings, hasn’t got going on this tour at all and needs a big knock under his belt to retain his position in the side for the Sri Lanka tour.

Dhoni drew a lot of flak for his slow innings the other day. The former Indian captain must look to enjoy in this game and back his natural instincts. If India picks Pant, the pressure on Dhoni will increase. With an eye on the 2019 World Cup, India is looking to include more and more youngsters in the fold which puts pressure on the seniors to keep performing as a minor blip might cost them their place.

Jadhav has always been under utilized in limited overs cricket. Batting at No. 6, he will not get a chance to build an innings. The 32-year old has a wide range of shots in his armory which enables him to pile on quick runs towards the end of the innings. His off-spin might be very useful against the big hitting Gayle.

All-rounders (Hardik Pandya and Ashwin/Jadeja)

Baroda boy Hardik contributed immensely with the ball but failed to get going with the bat. Because India’s top order has been in exemplary form, the 23-year old won’t get many opportunities with the bat but he must step up in whatever chances he gets. He failed in both innings and would be raring to hit some off the middle if he is required late in the innings.

India’s biggest dilemma would to leave out one of Jadeja and Ashwin. The latter bowled well in the ODIs and picked 4 wickets from 3 games, conceding runs miserly at the rate of 3.94. Jadeja went wicketless and had an economy rate of 3.75 in 2 games. While Jadeja is a livewire in the field and very effective with the bat, Ashwin is superior with the ball. It will be a tough call for Kohli to select one out of Jadeja and Ashwin but he is likely to go in with the former.

Bowlers (Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav)

Shami has bowled well in the series picking four wickets in 2 games. He might edge out Umesh Yadav, who hasn’t done too badly as he took 7 wickets in 5 games. Shami is a wicket taking bowler who might go for runs but will give you wickets.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar strangely missed out in the last two ODIs but is expected to play this game given his ability to perform in the shortest format. He swings the ball up front and returns to bowl pinpoint yorkers at the death. Bhuvi is indispensable in T20s after improving his skills vasty over the last 2 years.

Kuldeep hasn’t done any harm to his position in the side. His presence has forced India to pick one of Ashwin and Jadeja in the ODI series. He played all 5 games and took 8 wickets at 19.75. The West Indies batsmen have failed to pick him up during the course of the series and will again struggle to get past the 22-year old.