India vs West Indies 1st T20I Prediction: Who will win today's match?
While the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction might've been the most exciting piece of the T20 cricket calendar this week, the three-match India vs West Indies series follows as a close second. The first T20I will be held at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, February 16.
West Indies were rolled over with consummate ease in the preceding ODI series, whose 3-0 scoreline reflected just how one-sided it was. However, they will be quietly confident of upsetting the hosts' applecart in the T20I format, just weeks after beating white-ball behemoths England 3-2 in a five-match series.
India, on the other hand, are also fresh off a win in their last T20I series. Facing a depleted New Zealand shortly after the 2021 T20 World Cup, the Men in Blue started the Rohit Sharma era on a positive note and will look to continue in the same vein.
India vs West Indies 1st T20I: Short-handed hosts aim to resolve concerns
India will be without several key performers in the T20I series against West Indies. While Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have been rested, the likes of Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and KL Rahul aren't in consideration due to fitness issues. But the Men in Blue still have a decent squad to choose from.
Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan are expected to open for India, followed by big names like Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav. All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer is likely to slot into the No. 6 role, while the performance of the team's bowling attack - led by the impressive Mohammed Siraj - will be in the spotlight.
An international debut for Avesh Khan might be on the cards, while India will have to choose between the contrasting bowling styles of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Bishnoi. Kuldeep Yadav has been added to the squad as a replacement for Sundar, but the left-arm wrist-spinner might not be in the reckoning at the start of the series.
West Indies have a series of exciting all-rounders stacking up the middle order. Odean Smith, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder and Rovman Powell, fresh off massive IPL contracts, will be closely watched, as will Nicholas Pooran. Pooran did well against England, but has been in a rut of late and must lead the batting department with consistency.
Akeal Hosein has been miserly in T20Is recently, while Hayden Walsh Jr picked up a couple of important wickets in the only ODI he played against India after coming in as the left-arm spinner's replacement. Either way, the visitors' batting lineup will be deep and capable of taking the attack to the Indian bowlers throughout.
A close encounter is on the cards in Kolkata. India's superior bowling attack, which boasts of proven specialists, might be the differentiating factor. It won't be easy, but Rohit's men can be backed to get off to a winning start in the series.
Prediction: India to win the first T20I vs West Indies