Lucknow T20I: Will India draw first blood against West Indies?
What's the story
After a thrilling ODI leg, India and West Indies are set to lock horns in a five-match T20I series. The first match will be played at the iconic Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on October 6. Shreyas Iyer, who recently led the Indian men's side to the Asian Games gold medal, is set to begin a fresh chapter. Meanwhile, WI skipper Shai Hope is coming off a record-breaking ton in the final ODI.
Details
Pitch report, conditions, and streaming details
Unlike most grounds in India, the Ekana Stadium isn't as high-scoring.
The black-soil wicket here can produce a competitive game. Therefore, spinners will be in action throughout the match.
The match, starting at 7:00pm IST, will likely be clear of rain with some overhead clouds.
It will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network and live-streamed on the JioHotstar app and website.
Recent form
West Indies' confidence after ODI victory
West Indies will enter the T20I series on the back of their incredible ODI win in New Chandigarh.
Hope's unbeaten 162 helped his team chase down a daunting target of 352 runs.
Meanwhile, West Indies have added wicketkeeper-batter Amir Jangoo to their squad as cover for Jewel Andrew, who suffered a finger injury during the third ODI.
New leadership
Shreyas Iyer leads India in 1st T20I
On the other hand, Shreyas and his troops are coming off a win over Pakistan in the Asian Games gold medal match.
Iyer earlier started his captaincy stint with series defeats in Ireland and England. However, he bounced back on the Zimbabwe tour, winning the T20I series.
Under him, India defeated Afghanistan 3-0 at home thereafter.
It will be interesting to see if Iyer plays all three - Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Lineups
A look at likely XIs
India (Probable XI): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, and Arshdeep Singh.
West Indies (Probable XI): Shai Hope (captain and wicket-keeper), Amir Jangoo, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Matthew Forde, and Gudakesh Motie.
Historical performance
India vs West Indies in T20Is
India and West Indies have clashed 31 times in T20Is between 2009 and 2026.
While India won 20 of those encounters, West Indies emerged victorious on 10 occasions, with one match ending without a result.
On Indian soil, the Caribbean side has played 11 T20Is but managed only two wins.
The last encounter between the two sides saw India beat West Indies at this year's ICC T20 World Cup.
Sanju Samson slammed a match-winning 97* (50) for India.
Information
WI's last bilateral series in India
West Indies last visited India for a bilateral T20I series in 2022. The Rohit Sharma-led India routed the visitors 3-0. In fact, WI have managed a solitary win across nine bilateral T20Is in India.
Performers
Players in spotlight
Ishan Kishan recently became the second Indian to score 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year.
He tops the tally this year, having scored 1,005 runs from 29 games with a strike rate of 169.47.
Abhishek Sharma isn't too far behind (811 runs), having struck at 205.83.
Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav has the most wickets in India-WI T20Is. He owns 17 wickets from nine matches at 13.41.
He is followed by Arshdeep Singh (14 wickets at 22.28).