All eyes will once again be set on 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as India next host West Indies in a five-match T20I series.
The T20 World Cup holders recently conquered Asia once again by winning the gold medal at the Asian Games 2026. India beat Sri Lanka in the semi-final and Pakistan in the final to win gold for the second consecutive time in the Asian Games.
India’s next major targets are the 2028 T20 World Cup and the Los Angeles Olympics the same year. In the short term, Shreyas Iyer’s team will look to dominate two-time T20 world champions, West Indies.
The IND vs WI T20I series will begin on October 6 in Lucknow.
India’s squad for the IND vs WI T20I series is similar to the squad that flew to Japan, with the exception of Jasprit Bumrah being rested.
Further, Kuldeep Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who featured in the ODIs against the West Indies, are part of the T20I squad. Both were excluded from the Asian Games to get game time in the ODIs as India fine-tune their preparations for the 2027 World Cup.
Fast bowlers Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav were not part of the Asian Games but will feature in the squad in the upcoming T20I series. Seamer Yash Thakur and spin-bowling all-rounder Vipraj Nigam, both of whom were in Japan, are not part of the IND vs WI squad.
Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakravarthy, and Harshit Rana continue to remain sidelined due to injuries.
IND vs WI 1st T20I: India’s batting order remains uncertain
India unfurled a new batting combination in the Asian Games in Japan as Sooryavanshi opened alongside Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson was pushed to No. 3, while Ishan Kishan was demoted to No. 5.
This, however, created a very left-handed heavy middle- and lower-middle-order of Kishan, Dube, Tilak, Axar, and Sundar. India might look to avoid such a situation in the upcoming series.
It’s possible that India might drop Samson from the T20I lineup after his failures in Japan.
The majority of India’s playing XI remains set. The likes of Abhishek, Kishan, Iyer, Dube, Axar, Tilak, and Arshdeep are certain starters.
Both Sooryavanshi and Samson are also expected to feature, though Samson won’t bat at his preferred opening slot. Kuldeep is all but certain to be part of the side.
India are likely to pick one of Sundar or Reddy at No. 8, while one of Prince or Mayank will get the nod. Bishnoi is expected to be on the bench.
IND vs WI: India Playing XI For 1st T20I – Predicted Ft. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- Abhishek Sharma
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- Sanju Samson
- Ishan Kishan (wk)
- Shreyas Iyer (C)
- Shivam Dube
- Axar Patel
- Washington Sundar/Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Arshdeep Singh
- Prince Yadav/Mayank Yadav
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