No time to rest: India dives into West Indies T20I series after Asian Games glory

The Men in Blue’s record in T20Is since the World Cup triumph earlier this year has been mixed. The side lost six games on the bounce, including a shock 0-2 defeat to Ireland followed by another wipeout in England (0-4). Following that, India breezed past Zimbabwe (3-0) and, more recently, Afghanistan (3-0). | Photo Credit: AFP

For quite a while now, a lot of ink has been spilt on the packed schedule, especially for India. The country is blessed with an immense pool of talent, so much so that it can easily field multiple squads across formats. While that is often used to justify the gruelling fixtures, the powers that be need to seriously think about how much is too much.

Just three days after beating arch-rivals Pakistan to secure a gold medal in the Asian Games, Shreyas Iyer’s men will be out on the park again to take on West Indies in a five-match series that starts here at the Ekana Stadium on Tuesday.

The Men in Blue’s record in T20Is since the World Cup triumph earlier this year has been mixed. The side lost six games on the bounce, including a shock 0-2 defeat to Ireland followed by another wipeout in England (0-4). Following that, India breezed past Zimbabwe (3-0) and, more recently, Afghanistan (3-0). Now this assignment offers a chance to test the squad against a formidable Caribbean outfit.

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The hosts have a power-packed line-up that bats deep, including all-rounders Shivam Dube and Nitish Reddy. It is complemented by a potent spin combination of Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel. Arshdeep Singh will lead the pace attack, with Prince Yadav and Mayank Yadav the other quicks in the line-up.

However, one player who is under scrutiny is Sanju Samson. The wicket-keeper batter has had a lean run since the World Cup, barring his two half-centuries against Afghanistan. With the next World Cup quite a while away in late 2028, it is also an ideal time to experiment and groom the next batch. One thing to watch is how the think tank handles Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and helps him find his feet in international cricket.

The visitors, meanwhile, will hope to put the ODI series defeat aside. The return of T20 specialists like Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell and Romario Shepherd adds much-needed firepower. On their day, anyone among them can take the game away from the opposition quickly.

The bowling too will be bolstered by Akeal Hosein, who had an impressive IPL for Chennai Super Kings earlier this year. Though India will start as favourites, Shai Hope’s men will be keen to give the home team a run for their money and finish the tour strongly.

TEAMS

India: Shreyas Iyer (Capt.), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (w-k), Sanju Samson (w-k), Tilak Varma (v-c), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav.

West Indies: Shai Hope (Capt. & w-k), Jewel Andrew, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Kamil Pooran, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer, Amir Jangoo (w-k)