India vs Windies, 1st T20I, Match Prediction: Who will win the Match?

At Eden Gardens, only two of the six T20Is have been won by the team batting first.

Published - 03 Nov 2018, 15:58 IST | Updated - 03 Nov 2018, 15:58 IST

View : 3.4K

2 Min Read

The Windies have fond memories of the Eden Gardens in Kolkata as they won the 2016 World T20, beating England in the final courtesy of Carlos Brathwaite’s belligerence. The Caribbean team would now lock horns with India in the first T20I of the three-match series at the same venue. They are currently ranked seventh in the T20 format, but can’t be undermined bearing in mind the firepower they possess.

On the other hand, India, led by Rohit Sharma, are ranked second to Pakistan and won’t have their regular captain Virat Kohli. Nevertheless, that doesn’t make them mere pushovers by any stretch of the imagination. The Men in Blue thumped their opponents in the ODI series and would want to maintain their dominance over Carlos Brathwaite and Co in the 20-overs format as well.

Pitch

The pitch has traditionally been batting-friendly but has also assisted the spin bowlers to a large extent. Moreover, only two of the six T20Is have been won by the team batting first at the stadium. Hence, it won’t be surprising if the team, winning the toss, elects to field first. Moreover, both have a power-packed batting lineup owing to which they may also want to bat second.

Team Combinations

India

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are the openers with Lokesh Rahul to follow. Dinesh Karthik and Manish Pandey are slotted at number four and five. The hard-hitting wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant comes at number six. All-rounder Krunal Pandya is likely to make his debut. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are the pacers with the spin duo of Kuldeep and Chahal.

Predicted XI

Rohit Sharma(C), Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav

Windies

Nicholas Pooran and Denesh Ramdin may open the batting with the swashbuckling Shimron Hetmyer at number three. Kieron Pollard and Rovman Powell are slotted to come at number four and five. A lot would depend on Darren Bravo as he was in impressive form in the CPL. Sherfane Rutherford and left-arm spinner Khary Pierre may make their debuts. McCoy and Brathwaite are the pacers.

Predicted XI

Nicholas Pooran, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, Kieron Pollard, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Fabian Allen, Carlos Brathwaite (C), Obed McCoy, Khary Pierre