West Indies vs India, 1st T20I: Match Preview, Head to Head, Playing XI and Broadcast Details

India has been on a roll in their ongoing tour of the West Indies. They won the first two games of the ODI series in two neck-to-neck clashes and then went on to grab a perfect win in the final ODI of the series to clinch a 3-0 deal. The two teams will now face off against each other in a five-match T20I series, starting July 29 in the Caribbean.

The Indian team will have the services of senior players like skipper Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as they return for the 20-over games. They will also be joined by Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya, who have been in fine touch in the white-ball format. Pandya, for one, played a major role in India’s recent T20I win against England.

KL Rahul will miss out as he has been advised to take rest in his recovery after Covid-19. Thus, Rishabh Pant might move up in the opening slot alongside skipper Rohit, like in the England series. The players will be closely looked upon as the selectors look to prepare a strong T20I squad for the World Cup.

As for the hosts, the Men in Maroon will need to pull up their socks and gear up for the 20-over game. It will be very crucial for them as they HAve suffered a miserable defeat in the recently concluded ODI series. Nicholas Pooran and Co. will plan to plot an act of revenge and win the T20I series, whereas the Men in Blue will look forward to continuing their winning momentum.

Pitch Conditions

The Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, in Trinidad will host the first fixture of the five-match series. In the domestic T20 matches played at the venue, the pitch has been supportive to the spinners. Of the 30 games, the average first innings score has been 141, and thus the batters will also get some assistance.

Playing Combinations for WI vs IND

West Indies

The hosts have suffered a major loss in the ODI series, but their performance in the T20Is against Bangladesh was noteworthy. The power-hitters usually come into action in the 20-over format and give out their best. Something similar will be expected from the Men in Maroon

Probable XI: Squad yet to be announced

India

With skipper Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and other in-form players like Pandya and Karthik coming in, India will be a formidable team.

Predicted Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja/Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Avesh Khan/Arshdeep Singh

WI vs IND Head-to-Head

Played- 20 | West Indies- 06 | India- 13 | NR- 01

WI vs IND Broadcast Details

Match Timings- 8:00 PM IST

TV- DD Sports

Streaming- FanCode