The five-match T20I series between India and West Indies will get underway at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Thursday. Both sides will see plenty of changes after the ODI series which ended a couple of days back at the same venue.


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Team India will be once again led by all-rounder Hardik Pandya as both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been given a break from the T20I series. Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made a sensational Test debut last month, will be back in the India team and set to make his T20I debut on Thursday. Jaiswal had notched up a century on debut in the Dominica Test win.


With Jaiswal coming into the side, it will be interesting to see if both ‘Player of the Series’ in ODIs Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson can be fitted into the same playing 11 if young Mumbai Indians batter Tilak Varma also makes his T20I debut.


Suryakumar Yadav, who is world No 1 T20I batter, will be Hardik Pandya’s deputy in this T20I series. In the bowling department, with a second match being played at the Brian Lara Stadium in the last couple of days, Team India may opt to bring in Axar Patel as the extra spinner.


For the first-choice spinner’s role, it will be a toss up between leg-spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Bishnoi while in-form Kuldeep Yadav should continue in the team too. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh will also be back into the Indian side and will be partnered by either Mukesh Kumar or Avesh Khan or Umran Malik.


The West Indies, on the other hand, will be led by Delhi Capitals all-rounder Rovman Powell. ODI skipper Shai Hope has been recalled to the T20I team as well.


Lucknow Super Giants batter Nicholas Pooran, who scored a sensational 137 not out for MI New York in the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023 final earlier this week, will be back in the team as well.



India vs West Indies 1st T20I Predicted Playing 11


India: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan/Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal/Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar/Umran Malik/Avesh Khan


West Indies: Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Johnson Charles/Shai Hope (wk), Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell (c), Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd/Odean Smith, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph/Oshane Thomas