India vs West Indies, 1st T20I: Preview, Dream11 and more
India and West Indies gear up for the first T20I to be held in Hyderabad on Friday. With the ICC World T20 in mind, both teams will be wanting to give their all and get things right to gain advantage in the three-match series. India had earlier beaten WI 3-0 in the T20I series in August. Here's the complete match preview.
Wrist-spinners will be India's strength, return of Bhuvneshwar key
After beating Bangladesh 2-1 in the T20I series last month, India will be aiming to start in a bright note against WI on Friday. The focus for Team India will be on getting the balance right. We expect to see wrist-spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal weave their magic as a pair. The return of Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a bonus in the pace attack.
West Indies have to better themselves in T20Is
West Indies will need to answer many questions after their 2-1 defeat against Afghanistan in the T20I series in Lucknow. Nicolas Pooran will not be available for the first T20I, owing to his four-match ban. He will be a huge miss for the visitors. The onus will be on youngster Shimron Hetmyer to perform. Skipper Kieron Pollard will need to handle the side well.
Shreyas Iyer will want to consolidate his position
India's major strength will be the batting and one expects the side to score runs aplenty. The onus will be on seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. However, Shreyas Iyer will want to score the runs at number four. He was excellent against Bangladesh.
Conditions, pitch report, timing and TV listing
One expects a clear weather with the conditions getting slightly cooler as the match progresses. The pitch in Hyderabad will suit batting. Expect plenty of runs to be be scored. The spinners will come into fray as well. The match is set to start at 7:00 PM IST. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream it on Hotstar.
Dream11: Kohli and Pollard get the leadership nods
Rohit and KL Rahul get the chance to open the batting in this Dream11 side. Kohli (captain) will be the main crux of this batting line-up. Shimron Hetmyer comes in the middle order. Denesh Ramdin is the wicket-keeper batsman. Ravindra Jadeja and Pollard (vice-captain) are the two all-rounders. Keemo Paul, Deepak Chahar and Sheldon Cottrell are the pacers. Chahal is the lone main spinner.
