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India vs West Indies, 1st T20I: Likely XI for MS Dhoni and Co.

India and West Indies will lock horns for two T20I series which will be held at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida.

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India have lost thrice against West Indies in bilateral series out of five matches played © Getty Images
India have lost thrice against West Indies in bilateral series out of five matches played © Getty Images

India and West Indies are coming together for a two-T20 series which will be held at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida. This will be the first time both the teams will play a short series in USA. West Indies have a record of winning two matches here against New Zealand in 2010 and will want to come out of the disappointing show in Test against Virat Kohli and co. The year 2016 has truly belonged to India in every way. It started off with India’s tour to Australia moving on to India’s T20 series triumph against Sri Lanka and later claiming the Asia Cup T20. They reached the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 but got defeated against eventual winners, West Indies. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs West Indies, 1st T20I, Lauderhill

India also clinched the series against Zimbabwe without the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kohli and others. One will be keen to see MS Dhoni back in his blue attire. In the previous T20 encounter between these teams, India were thrashed with help of Lendl Simmons’ quick fire 51-ball 82 runs, who was called to replace injured Andre Fletcher a day before the do-or-die match. India will need to transform to T20 mode after a month long Test series.

Team India have pretty much the similar squad as witnessed in Tests but will be bolstered with the inclusion of captain Dhoni and Jasprit Bumrah. However, cricket experts will miss the veterans of T20 format like Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh, who were a part of World T20. Apart from these, all-rounders like Pawan Negi and Hardik Pandya have also been replaced by Stuart Binny and Umesh Yadav. Pandya, who was handy with the bat and ball, especially for his last over against Bangladesh, found no spot despite the efforts due to a bad show in the IPL 2016. ALSO READ: IND vs WI, 1st T20I: Dhoni and co. look to vanquish world champions

Meanwhile, KL Rahul earned his spot after his stellar show against Zimbabwe. Apart from the batsmen, India have three-spinners at their disposal along with five seamers. Let us have a look at the probable XI MS Dhoni will field against West Indies:

Top-Order: When it comes to opening the innings in shorter formats, India have stuck with Dhawan and Rohit. Rohit’s back-to-back fifties in the T20 series in Australia tour along with a quick fire 55-ball 83 against Bangladesh in the opening match of Asia Cup 2016 made him a strong contender for going all out in the World T20. Sadly it was nlt the case im Test series against West Indies. He will like to make amends for his surprising performance in the big event by scoring in both the matches in USA.

In the hindsight, Dhawan is capable to take charge when his partner is out of action. He started off well in Australia series but had a rough patch in World T20 and was dropped in the semi-final following his poor form. He was not at par during IPL at the start but improved as the tournament reached its climax. This could be the moment for him to regain his mojo after his modest run in Tests against West Indies. ALSO READ: Brathwaite’s appointment as T20I skipper: Baseless or contemplating decision by WICB?

India’s No. 3 batsman and deputy – Kohli, has so far had a dream year. His four back-to-back centuries in IPL leading RCB to final spot, maiden double century in Tests against West Indies and being the saviour for India in World T20 proves the caliber he possesses in every format. It is time for Kohli to unleash his batting prowess against West Indies.

Middle-Order: Ajinkya Rahane will spearhead India’s middle-order. In the absence of the T20 specialist Raina, Rahane will have to fill in his shoes appropriately. He has scored half-centuries in IPL 2016 for new franchise RPS. He amassed 480 runs of 14 matches and was their key player. Rahane will have to bring his composed and gritty game into play against the rusty West Indians.

Rahul is a new found element for India. His dream run in IPL landed him a place in the squad for the tour of Zimbabwe. To compliment a composed batsman like Rahane, Rahul will need to bring his hard-hitting skills into play. Surprisingly, Rahane scored more than Rahul in IPL as the latter ended his tournament with 397 runs. Rahul has the knack to build long partnerships and will want to bring back his T20 expertise. ALSO READ: IND vs WI: Great advertisement for T20Is in USA, but cricket will take centre stage

Captain Dhoni, the finisher, enters when the team is in dire need of victory. His lightening speed work behind the stumps or his power hitting to fetch a dramatic win over KXIP in their last league match in IPL speakes volumes about what he brings to the table. The deadly combination of Kohli and Dhoni is enough to provide hiccups to any side and West Indies will feel the heat if any of them click.

Ravindra Jadeja can come handy with the bat in the lower middle-order. He can add those 20-30 runs and can also pick a wicket or two at regular intervals. The left-handed batsman got 8 wickets at the end of IPL season for new franchise GL and got few runs as well out of the 15 matches he played. Jadeja needs to get more wickets and keep West Indies at the edge of their seat to turn the tides for India.

Lower-Order and Bowling: Ravichandran Ashwin has shown what he can do with the bat. He was probably under-estimated to being confined as a bowler and his twin centuries and much deserving Man of the Series award in the recently concluded Test series against the same opponents has built further expectations from him. He can rattle the West Indies batting line-up, if used well by Dhoni and continue his inspiring form from the Test series. Mohammed Shami is back into T20 arena after his comeback. He has already shown his bowling expertise in series against West Indies and will want to continue in the same way in  T20s. ALSO READ: IND vs WI, T20Is: Ashwin vs Simmons, Kohli vs Narine and other key clashes

Jasprit Bumrah continues to rule in T20 format where he has enjoyed tremendous success in short span. He took six wickets at the end of Australia tour and chipped in three wickets in the Sri Lanka T20 series. He tried to maintain his pace but managed to grab just 6 wickets in Asia Cup and ended with just 4 wickets in World T20. He will likely be accompanied by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Bhuvneshwar also earned the Purple cap in IPL 2016, shackling the opponents many a times and will be expected to deliver in the same manner. Bhuvneshwar has never got much opportunity to prove his mettle and would reckon this series as an important one in cementing his spot for long in the side.

West Indies have an upper-hand against India as they boost of a better head-to-head record. India will need to go a step ahead and push themselves where both the teams lie in same boat and enjoy the most.

(Shruti Hariharan is Content Writer with CricketCountry. You can follow her on Twitter at @Shruti_2890)

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