Buoyant India aim to carry Asiad momentum against West Indies in five-match T20I series

India will look to carry the momentum of their recent Asian Games success into the five-match T20I series against the West Indies when the sides meet at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday.

The T20I series follows just three days after the West Indies chased down 352 in New Chandigarh, achieving their highest successful ODI run chase against India. Captain Shai Hope scored a brilliant 162 not out to lead the visitors to victory and give them a significant boost in confidence for the shorter format series.

The Men in Blue will be wary of the danger that the Caribbean side, consisting of many power-hitters, possesses, something they must have seen in the recently concluded 50-over series.

Amir Jangoo, the wicketkeeper-batter, has been added to the West Indies’ squad as cover for Jewel Andrew, who sustained a finger injury during the third ODI on Saturday.

“Amir Jangoo has been added to the squad as cover for the wicketkeeping position following the finger injury sustained by Jewel Andrew during Saturday’s third ODI. Andrew is still being monitored and assessed by the medical team,” CWI said in a statement on Monday.

The last time India and West Indies played a T20I series was in the Caribbean in 2023, with the hosts winning it 3-2. India will now start a new phase in the format with Shreyas Iyer as captain and Tilak Varma his deputy.

On Saturday, Iyer guided India to victory in the final of the Asian Games in Nisshin, Japan, beating Pakistan by 19 runs in an exciting final.

The captain will now be focusing on a new-look T20I series against a West Indies team which is entering the series with increased confidence.

India have in the past dominated the rivalry in the shortest format, having a 20-10 lead in 31 T20 matches. Their record at home is even more impressive, since they won nine of the 11 T20I matches they played against West Indies on home soil.

Since 2018, India have won 18 out of the 23 T20I matches they have played at home against the West Indies.

The West Indies have demonstrated that they are capable of giving India a tough time when their power hitters hit early and their bowlers carry out their strategies effectively.

In their match in Lucknow, their task will be to keep up the aggression without falling into the middle-over mistakes that have usually enabled India to gain the upper hand.

Hope will play a central role in their strategy. Although he had a minor groin complaint, he performed brilliantly during the chase and then picked up the pace towards the end, scoring 62 runs from his last 39 deliveries. The combination of composure and power that he showed will be useful in the T20 format.

In New Chandigarh as well, Keemo Paul scored 44 runs off 35 balls, hitting five fours after he had been promoted in the order. The fact that he is capable of contributing with both bat and ball means that West Indies now have another possible match-winner.

The Ekana Stadium is usually seen as a suitable surface for batting, even though spinners can be used as the ball wears on. Teams that bat early and successfully vary their pace are probably going to have the advantage.

On Sunday, the West Indies had their training session under the lights at the ground, and India are due to train on Tuesday, having returned from Japan.

The other four T20I matches will then be held in Ranchi on Oct.9, Indore on Oct.11, Hyderabad on Oct.14 and Bengaluru on Oct.17.

Indo-Asian News Service

Squads:

India: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav.

West Indies: Shai Hope (c), Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Akeal Hosein, Amir Jangoo, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Kamil Pooran, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer