India will take on West Indies in the first T20I of the five-match series on Tuesday in Lucknow. Fresh from successfully defending their gold medal in the men’s cricket event at the Asian Games 2026, Shreyas Iyer and Co. will be aiming to continue their winning momentum with another dominant performance. In the summit clash of the Asian Games, India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by 19 runs to clinch the gold medal. Back on home soil, the Indian players will be eager to replicate their heroics, but all eyes will be on the team’s Playing XI for the series opener.
The T20I series follows just three days after the West Indies chased down 352 in New Chandigarh, achieving their highest successful ODI run chase against India. Captain Shai Hope scored a brilliant 162 not out to lead the visitors to victory and give them a significant boost in confidence for the shorter format series.
The hosts will be wary of the danger that the Caribbean side, consisting of many power-hitters, possesses, something they must have seen in the recently concluded 50-over series.
The last time India and West Indies played a T20I series was in the Caribbean in 2023, with the hosts winning it 3-2. India will now start a new phase in the format with Shreyas Iyer as captain and Tilak Varma his deputy.
Considering the busy schedule of the T20Is side, India bowling coach Morne Morkel on Monday hinted that head coach Gautam Gambhir is likely to rotate the Playing XI, giving rest to a few players.
“I’m pretty sure, you know, Gautam will look to rotate. I mean, as I said, that is up to the selectors and the coach and the captain in terms of the playing XI, or which playing XI will be the best to win a game for India in our next World Cup. And that has always been the main focus,” Morkel told reporters in the pre-match press conference.
Apart from this, all eyes will be on the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who did not get a single game in the three-match series against Afghanistan but was included during the Asian Games. Sooryavanshi’s inclusion will definitely strengthen India’s Playing XI.
India’s Predicted XI for 1st T20I: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson/Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav.
(With IANS Inputs)
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