India captain Hardik Pandya made two changes for the must-win T20I against West Indies at Providence Stadium, Guyana on August 8. Yashasvi Jaiswal got his debut cap and replaced Ishan Kishan in the side. Also, Kuldeep Yadav replaced Ravi Bishnoi who was ineffective against Nicholas Pooran in the previous game.
“Don't mind chasing. Obviously would've preferred to bat looking at the surface. Might get slower. It is what it is. Pooran has been batting very well. Would like to keep things simple to him, rather than trying a lot of things. Two changes, Yashasvi makes his debut, Kuldeep comes in for Bishnoi. Ishan misses out,” Pandya said at the coin toss.
West Indies skipper Rovman Powell won the toss and opted to bat first. Powell made a forced change to the side as Jason Holder picked up a niggle. Roston Chase replaced him in the side.
“Looks a little slow wicket. Holder in the last game picked up a niggle to his knee. He misses out, Chase comes in. Guys are excited, we are on the doorstep on history. They have such quality players, have to keep them on their toes. If you become predictable, they will destroy you,” Powell said after winning the toss.
Suryakumar Yadav handed the debut cap to Jaiswal before the coin toss. The exclusion of Kishan means that Sanju Samson has been picked as a wicketkeeper-batter.
Jaiswal’s IPL form
Jaiswal was Rajasthan Royals (RR) top performer in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. From 14 appearances, he scored 625 runs at an average of 48.08 including one century and 25 half-centuries. The southpaw batted with a stupendous strike rate of 163.61.
West Indies Playing XI: Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran(w), Rovman Powell(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Roston Chase, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy
India Playing XI: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Sanju Samson(w), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar
MORE ON SPORTS TAK
Watch: Ravindra Jadeja sets internet ablaze with his 'Muqabla' moves in the US; video goes viral
