India will start their tour of West Indies with the first T20I of the three-match series at Florida on Saturday. They would be eager to leave the disappointment of their World Cup semi-final defeat behind and start things afresh. Moreover, the T20 World Cup is just a year away and it is necessary for them to start preparations as early as possible.
West Indies, on the other hand, are returning to to their favourite format. Two World T20 titles serve testimony to how much they like this format. They have quality power-hitters in the side and bowlers who are capable of taking wickets as well. That's what makes them such a dangerous team for the shortest format.
As far as the Lineups are concerned, India is expected to go with their familiar top three of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli. Either of Lokesh Rahul or Shreyas Iyer will shoulder the responsibility at No.4. Rishabh Pant will be the designated wicket-keeper in MS Dhoni's absence and Manish Pandey will most probably be the third batter for their middle order. Any two of Ravindra Jadeja, Krunal Pandya and Washington Sundar will slot into the side as the two all-rounders. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed and Deepak Chahar will most probably form the pace trio.
For West Indies, Evin Lewis and John Campbell will form the opening pair. Youngsters like Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer will most probably slot in to No.3 and No.4 respectively. They have
India will start their tour of West Indies with the first T20I of the three-match series at Florida on Saturday. They would be eager to leave the disappointment of their World Cup semi-final defeat behind and start things afresh. Moreover, the T20 World Cup is just a year away and it is necessary for them to start preparations as early as possible.
West Indies, on the other hand, are returning to to their favourite format. Two World T20 titles serve testimony to how much they like this format. They have quality power-hitters in the side and bowlers who are capable of taking wickets as well. That's what makes them such a dangerous team for the shortest format.
As far as the Lineups are concerned, India is expected to go with their familiar top three of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli. Either of Lokesh Rahul or Shreyas Iyer will shoulder the responsibility at No.4. Rishabh Pant will be the designated wicket-keeper in MS Dhoni's absence and Manish Pandey will most probably be the third batter for their middle order. Any two of Ravindra Jadeja, Krunal Pandya and Washington Sundar will slot into the side as the two all-rounders. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed and Deepak Chahar will most probably form the pace trio.
For West Indies, Evin Lewis and John Campbell will form the opening pair. Youngsters like Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer will most probably slot in to No.3 and No.4 respectively. They have been bolstered by the return of the experienced Kieron Pollard as well. He won't bowl much but will be a pretty vital cog of their batting at No. 5. Rovman Powell and Carlos Brathwaite will do the late-hitting for them whereas the likes of Keemo Paul, Sunil Narine, Oshane Thomas and Sheldon Cottrell will form the bowling attack.
Weather and Pitch conditions: Scattered Thunderstorms and rain are in forecast for Saturday. So, match might get interrupted and we can even see reduction in number of overs. The pitch, though, is batting friendly at this venue and generally sees high scores.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-Keeper: Nicholas Pooran (9 Cr)
The keeper-batsman was seen in superb touch with the bat during the World Cup. He was the highest run-getter for West Indies during the tournament as he scored a total of 367 runs at an average of over 50. He would be eager to carry his superb form forward into this all-important series against India as well.
Batsman: Virat Kohli (11 Cr)
The Indian skipper averages 53 against West Indies with over 200 runs to his name. It includes three 30-plus scores, two of which are fifties. Moroever, his strike-rate of 160-odd against the West Indian bowling attack is much higher than his overall career strike-rate was well.
All-Rounder: Carlos Brathwaite (8.5 Cr)
He is one of the most dangerous all-rounders in this format. He showed what he is capable of during the World Cup. With the ball, he picked up wickets regularly at the death. And as far as his batting is concerned, his century against New Zealand during the tournament will go down in history as one of the best World Cup knocks. Moreover, memories of his four consecutive sixes in the final over of the 2016 World T20 final also serves as a testimony to his potential.
Bowler: Khaleel Ahmed (8.5 Cr)
His exclusion from the World Cup squad hurt Khaleel Ahmed bad and he has been in excellent bowling form since then. He picked up 19 wickets in the IPL this season at a superb average and strike-rate of 15.10 and 11 respectively. He followed that up with a tally of 9 wickets in four matches at an average of 17.33.
Predicted Playing XI:
India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Lokesh Rahul/Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Manish Pandey/Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed
West Indies: Evin Lewis, John Campbell, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Kieron Pollard, Rovman Powell, Carlos Brathwaite, Keemo Paul, Sunil Narine, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas
