India to launch five‑match T20I series against West Indies in Lucknow

India will open a five‑game T20I series against West Indies on Tuesday in Lucknow, aiming to extend a recent winning streak. The opening match kicks off at 7 PM IST at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. The remaining games are slated for Friday in Ranchi, Sunday in Indore, Wednesday in Hyderabad and Saturday in Bengaluru, all at 7 PM IST. India’s squad is led by Shreyas Iyer, with Tilak Varma as vice‑captain. The lineup includes Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav and Naman Dhir. West Indies field Shai Hope as captain‑wicketkeeper, supported by 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 and Shamar Springer. Predicted line‑ups list Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh and a Yadav brother, while West Indies’ predicted XI features Kamil Pooran, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Roston Chase, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein and Shamar Joseph. India entered the series after defending its Asian Games gold medal against Pakistan in Japan and sealing a 2‑1 win in a three‑match ODI series versus West Indies, having taken the first two games before dropping the finale. The T20I series will be shown live on the Star Sports network and streamed on the JioHotsar app and website.

Context

The series follows India’s recent success in multi‑sport events and limited‑overs cricket, providing both teams a chance to fine‑tune their squads ahead of upcoming international fixtures.