🏏India vs West Indies: 1st T20I at Brian Lara Stadium - 03/08/2023🏏

🏏India vs West Indies: 1st T20I at Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba on 03/08/2023 at 8:00 PM IST🏏

In a 50-over World Cup year, playing a five-match T20I series wouldn't usually serve much purpose but for both India and the West Indies, it gives them an early opportunity to attune themselves to the conditions and set the ball rolling in terms of preparations for the next year's T20 World Cup which will be held in the Caribbean and the United States.

Although it is the 20-over format, it still gives the Indian players another opportunity to audition for roles for this year's main event, with the selectors likely to follow the performances of some who have been making the right noises in the IPL and domestic circuits. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma, who have scored prolifically in the IPL, will be keen to take their game to the next level, while the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi, who have played for India before but have gone off the radar a bit, will be hoping to make the most of the platform.

Suryakumar Yadav is a key member in the T20I team and he'll be hoping to get himself going in a format which has worked out well for him after an average showing in the ODI series. Umran Malik will be keen to find his rhythm and put the West Indian batters in a spot, having not been at his best in the 50-over games. Meanwhile, Mukesh Kumar, after showcasing his skills in the Test and ODI formats in his maiden series for India, will look to make a mark in the T20I format too if he is handed a debut. India have a plethora of spin options and it remains to be seen who among them get the nod.

The West Indies side have plenty of quality players in their line-up, but this will again be a fresh start for them after their poor showing in the T20 World Cup in Australia last year. They did win 2-1 against South Africa earlier this year and will be hoping to reflect on those performances as they look to challenge India, who are starting a new journey of their own as the old guard makes way for new, if the recent selections are anything to go by.

I was missing the T20 format 😍😍😍

Thanks for the tag Rajoooo🤗

How many matches will there be??

West Indies vs India Pitch Report

The pitch at the venue in Tarouba is expected to be an excellent one for the batters. However, spinners may end up getting quite a bit of assistance from the surface.

West Indies vs India Weather Forecast

Playing conditions will mostly be cloudy and there is a 20 percent chance of rain throughout the duration of the match.

Pitch and conditions: Rain could interrupt the game

The Brian Lara Cricket Academy has hosted just one T20I so far, in 2022, when India piled up 190 for 6, and then defended it with considerable ease against West Indies. The Tarouba pitch is usually friendly to batters, but a used one could offer more assistance to the bowlers. The forecast for Thursday isn't particularly promising, with a 40% chance of rain.

Originally posted by: la_Reine

I was missing the T20 format 😍😍😍

Thanks for the tag Rajoooo🤗

How many matches will there be??

Cheers..

Team news

India

Will India rest Shubman Gill and give Jaiswal an opportunity at the top of the order to partner Ishan Kishan or play the former at No.3? Tilak or Sanju Samson for the middle order? Who among three wrist spin options, and which pacer to leave out? Plenty of selection headaches for captain Hardik Pandya and the team management.

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

West Indies

Nicholas Pooran, who missed the ODI series owing to his participation in Major League Cricket, returns to the T20I side fresh off a match-winning 137 not out. The presence of Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope lend heft to the setup, as does the return of Oshane Thomas to the pace department.

Probable XI: Kyle Mayers, Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell (c), Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy, Oshane Thomas.

Stats and trivia

• Suryakumar Yadav has a strike rate of 175.76 in T20Is - the highest among all batters who have faced at least 250 balls in the format.
• Holder (53) is two wickets away from surpassing Samuel Badree (54) as West Indies' second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is. Dwayne Bravo tops this list with 78 strikes.
• India are set to play their 200th T20I on Thursday. Only Pakistan (223) have played more T20Is than India.

When: Thursday, August 3 at 8:00 PM IST (10:30 AM local time)

Where: Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad

What to expect: In the last match at this venue, India scored 350-plus batting first in the third ODI and a similar batting-friendly wicket could be on offer.

In the spotlight: Powell and Mukesh

Rovman Powell is among West Indies' leaders in white-ball cricket, but he was dropped for the last two ODIs against India, with Keacy Carty replacing him. He had also been dropped from the ODI side during the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. But Powell is now set to return, this time as the captain of the T20I team, and with a point to prove - particularly against the spinners. Powell has a strike rate of only 115.03 while facing spin in T20 cricket, while that number jumps up to 153.20 against pace.

Mukesh Kumar had to slog for years to make it to India's squad, but if he gets picked on Thursday, he will end up making his Test, ODI and T20I debuts in a fortnight in the West Indies. Mukesh usually operates in the lower 130kph range, but he can get the ball to skid and seam off the pitch like he did in the ODI series decider in Tarouba on Tuesday. With a number of senior quicks absent once again, Mukesh is likely to get a good run in the five-match T20I series.

Match: WI vs IND, 1st T20I, India tour of West Indies, 2023

Date: Thursday, August 03, 2023

Time: 8:00 PM IST

Venue: Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad

Umpires: Gregory Brathwaite, Patrick Gustard

Third Umpire: Nigel Duguid

Match Referee: Richie Richardson

T20s are back but it works only in night. Should have started around 4/5 am next day. But i guess they need viewership and only hardcore viewers will watch on these times.

Anyways good to see the 2024 team taking shape. Just add kohli and Pant if fit and this will be a perfect team.

P. S. Hardik pandya doesn't lose T20 events. The only person who has beaten him is the Greatest ever captain and one of the best every all rounders in the world.