Spinners and Seamers Strike as West Indies Falter Against India in Lucknow T20I

UPDATE - follow-up to IND vs WI 1st T20I Live Cricket Score: Arshdeep Singh picks Kamil Pooran; West Indies are one down in Lucknow: Kuldeep Yadav has removed Roston Chase, leaving the West Indies five down against India in the first T20I at Lucknow.

What Happened

Indian captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl first on a tricky mixed-soil pitch in Lucknow, which features 25 percent black soil and the rest red soil. West Indies openers Shai Hope and Kamil Pooran started well before the batting order began to collapse against Indian spin and pace. Arshdeep Singh bowled Pooran with a sharp yorker, while Naman Dhir picked up both Shai Hope—who had scored a half-century—and Romario Shepherd. Shimron Hetmyer was run out after a casual dive with his bat in the air, and Axar Patel bowled Rovman Powell with a delivery that hit the stumps.

Context

Lucknow's Ekana Cricket Stadium pitch is known for posing unique challenges to batters due to its mixed-soil composition, often requiring teams to adapt carefully rather than chasing high totals effortlessly. Teams touring India frequently face spin-heavy attacks that exploit middle-over conditions as pitches slow down. This follows an earlier report, covered earlier on 06 Oct 2026: 'IND vs WI 1st T20I Live Cricket Score: Arshdeep Singh picks Kamil Pooran; West Indies are one down in Lucknow'.