NEW DELHI : India vs West Indies 1st T20I Predicted 11: Head coach Gautam Gambhir’s biggest dilemma will be whether to start with Sanju Samson or field teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the opening Twenty20 International in Lucknow on Tuesday. The confident Indian team, fresh off its Asian Games heroics, will take on a brave West Indies outfit.
Even if both coaches support batting depth up to number eight, there will undoubtedly be a change in strategic attitude with Gambhir replacing VVS Laxman as head coach. However, if one were to closely follow Gambhir’s model, he wouldn’t include Samson and Sooryavanshi in the same XI because Abhishek Sharma is certain to play.
The pace attack, which includes the seasoned Arshdeep Singh and the more inexperienced Delhi combination of Mayank Yadav (6 T20Is) and Prince Yadav (3 T20Is), will be another challenge for coach Gambhir. Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav would handle the spin department.
Since the West Indies are regarded as a formidable team in the format, having won the T20 World Cup twice in 2012 and 2016, the series will also be a significant test of Iyer’s captaincy against a proper T20 team. India have won T20 series against lower-ranked countries like Zimbabwe and Afghanistan under Iyer’s captaincy.
However, India will have an advantage over the West Indies because they have won nine of their last ten home matches against the Caribbean side.
