After a clean sweep in the ODIs, India gear up to lock horns with West Indies in a three-match T20I series at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, starting February 16 (Wednesday). As the preparation for the T20 World Cup continues, the hosts will continue to audition for the few remaining spots.
However, India will miss a couple of cricketers in KL Rahul, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar against West Indies. Ahead of the start of the T20I series against West Indies, much of the discourse around Team India has revolved around the form of former captain Virat Kohli.
Bull's-eye Bhuvi 🎯
Sharp Siraj ⚡
A snippet of how the #TeamIndia speedsters sweated it out in the practice session under the watchful eyes of the Bowling Coach Paras Mhambrey at the Eden Gardens. 👌 👌#INDvWI | @Paytm | @BhuviOfficial | @mdsirajofficial pic.twitter.com/hMhCdAY9VJ
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 15, 2022
It has been over two years since Kohli has hit a century in international cricket with his last three-figure score coming at the same venue against Bangladesh in 2019. His lean patch continued in the ODI series against the visitors as he looked far from his sublime self.
West Indies, on the other hand, will be concerned about the fitness of their skipper Kieron Pollard. The experienced all-rounder missed the final two ODIs with a niggle and West Indies will hope that he can make a comeback to add some firepower in their batting unit.
Match Details
India vs West Indies, 1st T20I
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Date & Time: 16th February at 07:00 PM IST
Pitch Report
The wicket is expected to be batsman-friendly with a lot of runs on the cards. However, the spinners will also come into play at some stage in the game. The team winning the toss will like to bowl first considering that dew will slowly settle in as the match progresses.
India vs West Indies – Predicted Playing XI
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav
West Indies: Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Romario Shepherd, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Kieron Pollard (c), Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Odean Smith, Akeal Hosein, Sheldon Cottrell
Fantasy Tips Suggestions
Fantasy Team 1: Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rovman Powell, Kieron Pollard, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel (vc)
Fantasy Team 2: Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma (c), Shreyas Iyer, Kyle Mayers, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder (vc), Romario Shepherd, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Odean Smith