India would look to bounce back and return to winning ways in the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies when the two teams walk out at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on August 8 (Tuesday). Hardik Pandya-led Men in Blue have suffered consecutive defeats in the series as the Men in Maroon displayed tremendous fight and resilience. Now, the onus is on India to respond like one of the best teams in the world despite the squad comprising of youngsters.
Moving forward, all three remaining games in the series will be do-or-die fixtures for India. As pressure mounts, Hardik and the team management would look to find the right combination of players in order to put the best XI on the field.
Openers Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill have struggled immensely in the previous two matches. The wicketkeeper-batter Kishan scored three consecutive half-centuries in the ODI series but has been able to score runs freely in T20Is. Gill has had an ordinary tour so far and he would look to make amends after missing out in the previous matches. There is a possibility of Yashasvi Jaiswal making his T20I debut as the Mumbai batter can replace Kishan at the top of the order.
Tilak Varma has been a revelation in the ongoing T20I series. Apart from the young left-handed batter, none of the batters in the middle order have been able to make an impact with the willow, which has ultimately proved detrimental to the side. The onus falls on Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson to provide solidity in middle overs on tricky pitches.
Kuldeep Yadav missed the previous match as Ravi Bishnoi was given a chance. With series now on the line and India staring down the barrel, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the chinaman back in the playing XI.
Probable XI: Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan/ Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi/Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar
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