After a brief break from cricket, the Indian cricket team is all set square up against West Indies in the first T20I of the three-match series.
Team India is still recovering from the defeat against New Zealand in the recently concluded 2019 World Cup semifinals. The Virat Kohli-led team look to forget the ghosts of WC and start the Windies tour on a positive note on Saturday in Florida.
While West Indies cricket team, who are the defending T20 World Champions will look to show why they won the title in 2016. Allrounder Carlos Brathwaite will the Caribbean camp with T20 experts like Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine in the squad. The injury of Andre Russell is a major setback for Windies team as the powerful Caribbean could be menacing against Jasprit Bumrah-less Indian bowling line-up.
The Men in Blue rested flamboyant allrounder Hardik Pandya for the Windies tour, pacer Bumrah services will also be missed in white-ball cricket.
What to expect:
India will surely enter the match as favourites but you can't underestimate the Windies team as they are packed with T20 specialist. Looking at the previous record at Florida, both teams will look to bat first after winning the toss as the chasing team has lost six out of seven games. The T20I series will set up the foundation of India's squad for 2020 T20 World Cup with young talents included in the side for the three-match series.
Probable Playing XI of India and West Indies
India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (C), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja/Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Rahul Chahar
West Indies: Evin Lewis, John Campbell, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Kieron Pollard, Keemo Paul, Carlos Brathwaite, Sunil Narine, Khary Pierre, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas
