WI v IND 2019: India's predicted playing XI for the first T20I against West Indies
The Indian team selectors have announced the squad for the upcoming 3-match T20I series against the defending World T20 champions West Indies. Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey returned to the T20I squad while Navdeep Saini got his first limited-overs call-up. Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya have been rested from the T20I and ODI series.
India’s squad for 3 T20Is: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (WK), Krunal Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Rahul Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini
The series begins from 3rd August with matches scheduled in Florida and Guyana. West Indies may be ranked 9th in the world rankings but they are the most dangerous team in T20Is. They have some of the most powerful hitters in the game in the form of Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Carlos Brathwaite, and Evin Lewis.
India would be looking to zero in on the players that would form the nucleus of India’s squad for the next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia. Let us have a look at the probable playing XI for the first T2OI against West Indies.
#1 Top order (Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli)
After a splendid year with the bat, Rohit is expected to lead India’s lines in the T20Is as well. Rohit was the leading run-getter in the recently-concluded World Cup and is one of the few Indian batsmen who can clear the fence with ease.
Shikhar Dhawan was unfortunate to miss out on a major chunk of the World Cup due to an injury to his thumb. Dhawan has been declared fit and is likely to resume opening duties with Rohit. The southpaw is pretty good at making the full use of powerplays and also provides a right hand-left hand batting combination at the start.
Virat Kohli will return as captain of the Indian T20I team after being rested for the T20Is in New Zealand. Kohli has the ability to bat through the innings, and along with Rohit and Shikhar, is the fulcrum of India’s batting. Kohli will be looking to put aside the disappointment of the World Cup with an impressive display against the reigning T20I champions.