West Indies face India in the first T20I international match on Friday, July 29 at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad from 8:00 PM IST (Indian Standard Time).
West Indies were poor with the ball in the recently concluded ODI series against India and lost all three matches. The hosts were victorious in their last T20I series, a 2-0 victory against Bangladesh in the Caribbean. They also beat England in a five-match series in the same format earlier this year.
The Indian cricket team come into this series on the back of two T20I series wins in a row against Ireland and England in the United Kingdom. Shikhar Dhawan-led India side won the recently concluded ODI series against West Indies with the performances Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill being the biggest positives for the visitors. Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant have travelled to the Caribbean for this format and are expected to feature in the playing XI.
West Indies vs India 1st T20I odds
Parimatch odds: West Indies: 2.45, India: 1.51
10CRIC odds: West Indies: 2.96, India: 1.38
Betway odds: West Indies: 2.80, India: 1.42
Dafabet odds: West Indies: 3.05, India: 1.40
Note: Odds are subject to change. Please visit betting sites to check and confirm the latest odds.
West Indies vs India head-to-head in T20Is
The West Indies cricket team and India have played each other on 20 occasions in this format. The visitors have a slight edge, winning 13 matches while the hosts have won six and one match finished without a result.
India have won four of the last five matches in this format against the West Indies. The Caribbean side lost the three-match T20I series in India in February 2022.
West Indies vs India 1st T20I probable playing XI
West Indies: Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Shamarh Brooks, Nicholas Pooran ( captain & wicket-keeper), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Obed McCoy, Odeon Smith, Alzarri Joseph.
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
West Indies vs India 1st T20I top picks
West Indies: Nicholas Pooran will be the player to watch out for from the hosts. The southpaw has scored 335 runs against India in this format at an average of 41.87 and a strike rate of 133.46. The 26-year-old was the second highest run-getter for the hosts in the recently concluded ODI series with 141 runs in three matches.
India: Hardik Pandya is the top pick in this encounter. The all-rounder scored 63 runs and took five wickets in two T20Is against England earlier this month. He scored 487 runs and took eight wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season and also led Gujarat Titans to the title.
West Indies vs India 1st T20I prediction
India will be the clear favourites to win this encounter. The visitors clean swept the Caribbean side in the recently concluded three-match ODI series and also won the T20I series in India earlier this year.
West Indies have the home advantage but will find it difficult to beat a rejuvenated Indian side who welcome the return of Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant in this series.
West Indies vs India 1st T20I playing conditions and weather report
Maximum Temperature: 30°C
Precipitation: 59%
Humidity: 94%
Wind: 16 km/h