As captain Virat Kohli pointed out before leaving for the Caribbean tour, the main objective of the T20s and the subsequent ODI series against the West Indies is to try and give the fringe players who are on selectors' mind a fair chance.
Rishabh Pant plays a shot during an ODI match.
Team India has moved on from the World Cup 2019 heartbreak and are back out on the road to prepare for the next big ICC tournament, the T20 World Cup next year. Virat Kohli''s boy play West Indies in a three-match T20I series in the USA.
As captain Virat Kohli pointed out before leaving for the Caribbean tour, the main objective of the T20s and the subsequent ODI series against the West Indies is to try and give the fringe players who are on selectors' mind a fair chance.
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It might be the break that Shreyas Iyer was waiting for after being included in the T20I and ODI squads. The selectors and team management will be hoping that both Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey perform well and cement their place in India's dodgy middle-order.
Virat Kohli was expected to be rested for the limited-overs leg of the tour but a full strength squad has been picked barring the absence of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah who will join the side ahead of the Test series beginning August 22. All-rounder Hardik Pandya has been rested for the entire tour.
Hardik Pandya has had a stellar six months with another IPL trophy in his bag, he performed exceedingly well in the World Cup. In the semi-final however, Hardik Pandya lost his wicket to a lose shot and could not revive India from a top order collapse.
In the West Indies team, star all-rounder Andre Russell was ruled out from the T20I squad for the first two T20Is.
The match up is buzzing over the internet and here is what the fans are tweeting about in anticipation for the first T20I:
Come on Rohit you can do everything.
— Aman Kumar (@amankumar_45) July 30, 2019
Now target no.1 position in this #INDvsWI tour.
We all stand,s with you.#RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/7vzdQLYAH7
I will be surprise if India win this T20 series. #INDvsWI
— Amrit De (@de_argha) August 2, 2019
(One day & test .. India win )
#INDvsWI
— Braveboy007 (@braveboy998) August 3, 2019
All the very best champ @imVkohli Expecting some mass innings today!!! pic.twitter.com/p8KoPaMCpC
Players to Watch Out For:
Shreyas Iyer: The established batsman has been hitting the big runs all over the domestic circuit. Shreyas Iyer has also been lauded for his captaincy in the IPL for Delhi Capitals, where he took the team to an IPL 2019 playoffs. This is his chance to showcase his talent to play for India on the big stage and his ability to anchor the ship from the middle order.
Navdeep Saini: The 26-year-old lad has been impressing everyone with his ball control and his sheer pace, with the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini has a golden opportunity to showcase that he belongs in international cricket.
Rahul Chahar: With no Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal in the squad for the T20Is, all eyes will be on what the wiry young spinner from Mumbai Indians has to offer.
Teams
India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (WK), Krunal Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Rahul Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini
West Indies Squad for first two T20 Internationals: Carlos Brathwaite (Capt), Sunil Narine, Keemo Paul, Khary Pierre, Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Rovman Powell, Jason Mohammed, Oshane Thomas, Anthony Bramble (wk), John Campbell, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis.
With inputs from PTI
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