LAUDERHILL (USA): Back on the road following their unfulfilled World Cup campaign, India will begin their preparations for the T20 showpiece event next year with a three-match series against the West Indies beginning here on Saturday.
As captain Virat Kohli pointed out before leaving for the Caribbean tour, the main objective of the T20s and the subsequent ODI series against the West Indies is to try out the fringe players who are on selectors’ mind.
Kohli was expected to be rested for the limited-overs leg of the tour but a full-strength squad has been picked barring the absence of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah who will join the side ahead of the Test series beginning August 22. All-rounder Hardik Pandya has been rested for the entire tour.
It will be a crucial couple of weeks for Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey, who are back in the mix after being sidelined from India’s 50-over World Cup plans.
Pandey last played for India in November 2018 and Iyer on February 2018.
With India looking to solidify their brittle middle-order in ODIs, both batsmen have a good opportunity to make their case in the coming six games.
Both Pandey and Iyer, who were part of the recently-concluded A series in the Caribbean, come into the senior team with runs under their belt.
Spin all-rounder Washington Sundar and pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Deepak Chahar are also back in the T20 squad while speedster Navdeep Saini and Deepak’s brother Rahul are in line to make their India debut.
With Rohit Sharma and a fit-again, Shikhar Dhawan set to open, the number four spot seems likely to be occupied by K L Rahul, who has fond memories of the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, having scored an unbeaten 110 in his last innings here almost three years ago.
Rohit was top-scorer in the World Cup, with a record five hundred, and would be keen to carry that form amid the off-field drama of a speculated rift with Kohli, who has categorically denied any differences with his deputy.
From this tour onwards, Rishabh Pant will have more responsibility on his shoulders with the selectors backing him as the number one wicketkeeper in all formats amid little clarity over the future of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
India will be expected to beat the West Indies though they are most dangerous in the shortest format.
The explosive Kieron Pollard and spinner Sunil Narine are back in the side though Chris Gayle will only be seen in the ODIs. The West Indies suffered a blow as swashbuckling all-rounder Andre Russell has been ruled out due to an injury, being replaced by Jason Mohammed for the first two matches.
The 32-year-old Mohammed, who has captained West Indies in both limited-overs formats, is returning to the international fold for the first time in more than a year.
The regional side will be aiming to get over the disappointment of the World Cup with a good result against India.
Coach Floyd Reifer expects the series to be high on entertainment.
“The team is young, and we like to mix the experienced players with the youth. We have a very good blend. We are looking forward to the matches here in Florida. It should be a very exciting weekend, we lots of entertainment for the fans,” Reifer said ahead of the series.
Squads:
West Indies: John Campbell, Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicolas Pooran, Kieron Pollard, Rovman Powell, Carlos Brathwaite (c), Keemo Paul, Sunil Narine, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas, Anthony Bramble, Jason Mohammed, Khary Pierre.
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Krunal Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Rahul Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini.
Match starts 8 PM IST. PTI
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