India Announces Team for 1st T20 Against West Indies

On the eve of the first T20 match between India and the West Indies, the Indian Team has announced its 12-man squad for the first of three T20 matches, including Krunal Pandya and Khaleel Ahmed in the mix. The final lineup will only be decided after surveying the condition of the pitch at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, where currently it is expected to be a run-fest and pacy track, which will favor the inclusion of Khaleel Ahmed in tomorrow’s playing eleven. If, on the other hand, there appears to be some purchase for the spinners, it could well be announced that Krunal Pandya will be in the side.

The West Indies are the current world champions of the T20 format, but their recent run in the test series and the one-day international (ODI) series against India as part of their ongoing tour sees them being a little flat on confidence. An earlier statement by Carlos Brathwaite said that India would start out as clear favorites ahead of this 3-match T20 series, even though the West Indies were reigning champions.

Wicket keeping duties will fall to Rishabh Pant, and even though Dinesh Karthik is part of the side, he would be playing the role of a middle-order batsman. The team that has been announced for the first T20 match tomorrow are:  Rohit Sharma (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Wicket-keeper), Shikhar Dhawan, K.L. Rahul, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal.