India faces West Indies in Lucknow for first T20 match

India plays West Indies in the first match of a five-game T20 series on Tuesday in Lucknow. Shreyas Iyer leads the Indian team, while Shai Hope captains the West Indies.

Team Form

West Indies lost the recent ODI series but won the final match, giving them a boost. India enters this game after winning a gold medal at the Asian Games. The Indian squad includes batters like Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, though the team previously struggled and lost a series in Ireland under Iyer's early captaincy. West Indies has strong batters but struggles with bowling performance, which remains an issue on these pitches.

Squad Lineups

India's squad features Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, and either Prince Yadav or Mayank Yadav. The West Indies lineup includes Kamil Pooran, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Roston Chase, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, and Shamar Joseph.

Context

Lucknow generally does not produce very high-scoring matches, but both teams possess powerful hitters who can push totals higher. T20 cricket often tests bowling attacks severely when top-order batters find their rhythm early on.