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Hardik Pandya gave chances to two youngsters in the first T20I of five-T20I series against Rovman Powell-led West Indies. Debut caps were handed to middle-order batter Tilak Varma and fast bowler Mukesh Kumar at Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad.
West Indies skipper Rovman Powell won the toss and opted to bat first.
“Looks like a dry surface. India are playing a lot of spinners, let's see how we cope against them. The guys are confident. It's not a complete change in strategy. We are still boundary hitters, we are trying to run hard. We have gone with our strengths,” Powell said after winning the toss.
“That was the whole plan for this tour as well. We might be coming here to play the World Cup. Some players might get a chance to play here. By the time we come here next time, we'll be prepared. For me it's about improving. I focus on processes. You might have some losses and failures, I am okay with it. It's all about challenging ourselves. Umran, Bishnoi miss out. We are playing three spinners,” Pandya said at the coin toss.
Numbers of debutants
The Hyderabad batter had proved himself in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 for Mumbai Indians (MI). The southpaw scored 343 runs from 11 matches at an average of 42.88 including one half-century. He had a strike rate of 164.11.
On the other hand, Mukesh took four wickets in the recently concluded three-ODI series against the Shai Hope-led Caribbean side. In the decider clash, he picked up three wickets with the new ball to push the hosts on the back foot in the big run chase.
Head-to-head
India have beaten two-time T20 World Champions 17 times out of 25 encounters. West Indies won seven of them whereas one T20I could not yield a result.
India Playing XI: Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar
West Indies Playing XI: Kyle Mayers, Brandon King, Johnson Charles(w), Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell(c), Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy
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