West Indies have suffered an injury setback ahead of the five-T20I series opener against India. 19-year-old opener Jewel Andrew has been ruled out of the T20I series due to a finger injury he sustained during the third and final ODI of the series against India on October 3. Andrew got injured when he took Naman Dhir's catch inside the 30-yard circle. He was taken to the hospital for scans. He did not suffer a fracture but did not come out to bat in West Indies' record run chase where skipper Shai Hope scored an unbeaten 162 as opener.
Will Andrew take part in T20I series vs India?
Andrew played in the first ODI where he bagged a golden duck. He is ruled out the first T20I but whether he will be able to return for the remainder of T20I series remains in doubt. As per Cricket West Indies' statement on October 5, he "is still being monitored and assessed by the medical team".
Andrew had a golden opportunity in the T20I series. He is yet to showcase his talent but is currently backed by the team management. From five T20Is, he has 78 runs at an average of 15.60 and an ODI-appropriate strike rate of 97.50.
Who is Andrew's replacement?
In the absence of an injured Andrew, 29-year-old Amir Jangoo has been added to the squad. Jangoo was in fine form in the recently-concluded ODI series, scoring 239 runs at an average of 119.50 and strike rate of 135.80.
However, Jangoo’s T20 numbers are not a big improvement over young Andrew. So far, he has played seven T20Is and scored 163 runs at an average of 32.60 and strike rate of 120.74. His only T20I half-century, a 45-ball 74 came against Nepal in a dead rubber last year. He was dropped from T20Is after low scores against New Zealand and Afghanistan as West Indies’ T20 stars returned after fulfilling their franchise cricket commitments.
Overall, Jangoo has played 34 T20s and scored 710 runs at an average of 27.30 and strike rate of 104.25. He has five fifties in his T20 career. He is often regarded a better batter in long-form cricket.
Jangoo's stocks are not on the rise in T20 franchise cricket so far. He hasn't played in any T20 league apart from West Indies' Caribbean Premier League (CPL). He had scored 185 runs from four innings for Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in CPL 2025 but his strike rate was 113.49. In CPL 2026, he played a crucial role in Antigua and Barbuda Falcons' title win. He scored 213 runs from nine innings at an average of 30.42 but his strike rate was an underwhelming 107.57. Batting at no.3, he had scored a 34-ball 57 in the final against Jamaica Kingsmen, making a case for the T20 return as well.
Jangoo is set to play his first T20I since January 2026. The batting-friendly pitches in India may suit him and help in reviving T20I career.
Dhir to make T20I debut
India have made a change to their T20I squad as well. The selection committee has withdrawn spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar from the T20I squad. Instead, he will get some red-ball practice under his belt ahead of the two-Test series on New Zealand tour. He will turn up for Tamil Nadu in the upcoming Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season. Tamil Nadu will begin their Ranji Trophy campaign against Rajasthan away from home on October 11.
In Sundar's absence, Naman Dhir is set to make his T20I debut. Dhir recently made his ODI debut against West Indies where he contributed with off-spin. In his debut ODI series, he managed to get just one wicket. He has been an agile fielder as well. With the bat, he got just once chance and contributed with a 21-ball 30 in the third and final ODI of the series.
Dhir will also give India a right-handed batting option in the middle order. He was in good form in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League. Dhir has played three Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons for Mumbai Indians (MI), scoring 710 runs from 33 innings at an average of 27.30 and strike rate of 163.97. He has three IPL half-centuries including two in the 2026 season.
Overall, Dhir has played 61 T20s and scored 1,222 runs including five fifties. He played a crucial role in Punjab's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023-24 title win as well. Initially, he was roped in for Rs 20 lakh in the IPL 2024 auction. Then, he proved his worth and MI exercised their right-to-match (RTM) card to retain him for Rs 5.25 crore in the 2025 auction.
It is yet to be seen when Dhir gets to make his T20I debut. The first T20I of the series is scheduled to be played on October 6 at Lucknow's Ekana Stadium. The remaining T20I series will be played in Ranchi, Indore, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The T20I series will end on October 17. If Dhir gets a chance, he will also have the opportunity to make a case for the T20I series in New Zealand which commences on October 22.
India vs West Indies T20I updated squads
India – Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma (vc), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Naman Dhir.
West Indies – Shai Hope (c), Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Akeal Hosein, Amir Jangoo, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Kamil Pooran, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer.
Who replaced Dhir in India A’s squad vs Australia A?
Dhir's maiden T20I call-up has led to him missing the three-match One-Day series against Australia A in Puducherry. He has been replaced by left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Anukul Roy. The One-Day series will feature Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain and Devdutt Padikkal as vice-captain. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the series with Suryansh Shedge taking his place. The One-Day series will be played from October 6 to October 11.