India and the West Indies are set to face each other in a five-match T20I series, starting with the first game on Tuesday, October 6, at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
After losing the ODI series 2-1, the West Indies would want to give a better account of themselves in the shortest format. On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer’s Indian team will look to build on their gold medal triumph at the 2026 Asian Games last week.
India Predicted Playing XI for 1st T20I vs WI
Top-order batters: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (WK)
Abhishek Sharma is coming into this clash on the back of a brilliant 28-ball 61 in the Gold Medal match in the 2026 Asian Games against Pakistan. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi returned to the playing XI during the semi-final against Sri Lanka and played a quickfire cameo. Sanju Samson batted at No. 3 in both games but failed to make a mark. He was dismissed for single-digit scores on both occasions.
Middle and lower order: Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel
Shreyas Iyer didn’t have a memorable time with the bat in Japan. However, he would be one of the key batters to watch out for against the West Indies. Tilak Varma played a sensational knock in the final. The vice-captain would want to take confidence from it and play some decisive knocks against the Caribbean side. Shivam Dube and Nitish Kumar Reddy are the two seam-bowling all-rounders in the side. They could play together in the playing XI. Dube came out with a clutch all-round performance in the gold medal match against Pakistan. Meanwhile, Reddy was part of the ODI side that faced the West Indies. He didn’t have a notable outing with either bat or ball.
Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav
Ravi Bishnoi didn’t have a great time with the ball during the Asian Games. While Kuldeep Yadav also struggled in the ODIs against the West Indies, barring the first game, it is a good chance to give the left-arm wrist spinner a go in the shortest format with Varun Chakaravarthy sidelined with an injury. Arshdeep Singh and Mayank Yadav could be the two frontline pacers in the line-up. Mayank was brilliant during the T20I series against Zimbabwe and Arshdeep is India’s leading wicket-taker in this format.
India predicted playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (WK), Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav.
