WI vs IND, 1st T20I: Brian Lara Stadium pitch report
West Indies will have redemption in mind as they host India in the opener of the five-T20I series. India displayed quality cricket in the Test and ODI legs of the tour and clinched both series. They, however, have named a second-string team for the T20I series. WI, meanwhile, have recalled prominent players like Nicholas Pooran and Jason Holder. Here is the pitch report.
A look at the track conditions
The Brian Lara Stadium, Trinidad, will host the match on August 3. As seen in the 3rd ODI, the pitch here can favor the batters. However, the spinners can be lethal eventually. 145 reads the average first innings score here in T20Is. The toss-winning skipper will likely elect bowling first as the track is likely to get better as the game progresses.
Chasing team can have the upper hand
A total of four T20Is (including men's and women's) have been played at this venue and three have been won by chasing teams. 190/6 by India against West Indies last year reads the highest T20I team score at this venue. Overall in T20 cricket, chasing teams have won 18 and lost 17 games here. 7.35 reads the average run-rate here in the 20-over format.
Here are the key performers
Arshdeep Singh returned with 2/24 in his lone T20I outing at this venue. Shimron Hetmyer has a T20 strike rate of 133.17 at this venue. Jason Holder has claimed seven wickets in 10 T20 matches here besides hammering 213 runs. Johnson Charles has returned with three half-centuries in 10 T20 outings at this venue. Akeal Hosein has a T20 economy rate of 4.97 here.
Here are the Probable XIs
India (Playing XI): Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Mukesh Kumar. West Indies (Playing XI): Kyle Mayers, Brandon King, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Romario Shepherd, Alzarri Joseph, and Obed McCoy.
