India swept the West Indies 3-0 in Rohit Sharma’s debut as full-time white-ball skipper, but even the most ardent Team India supporters would acknowledge that there are several gaps to be plugged in the limited-overs setup. Despite India’s overwhelming performance in the One-Day Internationals just a week ago, one should think twice before banking on them to replicate the feat in the T20I series, which begins on Wednesday in Kolkata.
Here is the X1 predicted squad for the first T20 against the West indies.
Rohit Sharma: The captain, the flag bearer, and the cynosure of India’s dreams, both with the bat and as captain.
Ishan Kishan: Being the most expensive player in the IPL 2022 auction, which ended only a few days ago, would be the last thing on Ishan Kishan’s mind when he steps out to open the batting alongside Rohit in the opening T20I against West Indies, as the left-hander has plenty of other things to worry about.
Kohli scored only 26 runs in three One-Day Internationals against the Windies, and a century has eluded him for more than two years. The return of Kohli to his dominant form with the bat is critical to India’s success in any tournament.
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Shreyas Iyer: There appears to be a healthy intra-squad rivalry between Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav for the middle-order slot.
Suryakumar Yadav: The Mumbai right-hander seems to be dominating the fight to secure a place in the middle order.
Rishabh Pant: Named India’s vice-captain for the T20Is against the West Indies, possibly because to Rahul Dravid’s absence, Rishabh Pant gets an opportunity to demonstrate his leadership abilities.
Deepak Chahar: With no word on Hardik Pandya’s comeback and Venkatesh Iyer still a long way from being a completed product, Chahar might be the seam-bowling all-rounder India is seeking for.
Shreyas Iyer: There appears to be a healthy intra-squad rivalry between Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav for the middle-order slot.
Suryakumar Yadav: The Mumbai right-hander seems to be dominating the fight to secure a place in the middle order.
Rishabh Pant: Named India’s vice-captain for the T20Is against the West Indies, possibly because to Rahul Dravid’s absence, Rishabh Pant gets an opportunity to demonstrate his leadership abilities.
Deepak Chahar: With no word on Hardik Pandya’s comeback and Venkatesh Iyer still a long way from being a completed product, Chahar might be the seam-bowling all-rounder India is seeking for.
Kuldeep Yadav: Drafted in as a substitute after another setback for Washington Sundar, this might be Kuldeep’s final chance to stake a claim to the wrist spinner’s berth in India’s T20I squad.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: This might be Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s final series to prove that he still belongs in an India XI in white-ball cricket.
Ravi Bishnoi: His lengthy run-up, flatter trajectory, and quick googly may be just what India needs in this format.
Mohammed Siraj: He was quite excellent in the ODI series and there is no reason why he can’t do the same in the T20Is, but Siraj still has to improve his death bowling.
