India and the West Indies will face each other in the second T20I at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi, on Friday. The hosts had drawn first blood in the series after registering an eight-wicket win at Lucknow.
Shreyas Iyer was the star of the show in the opening game, scoring a majestic knock of 102 runs off just 43 balls. Iyer had not yet played an authoritative knock since taking over the captaincy, and this innings would give him a lot of confidence.
India was right on the money with the ball too, skittling out the visitors at 171. Naman Dhir was able to impress on his debut, bagging 3-31, whereas Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel bagged two wickets apiece.
But there will be pressure on Sanju Samson, who was once again dismissed cheaply after scoring only 11 runs. Samson will need to get a big score under his belt as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is breathing down his neck.
On the other hand, West Indies were poor with the bat as they were bowled out for a paltry score despite batting-friendly conditions. Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford scored impressive knocks, but the rest of the batters failed to impress. Furthermore, the Windies bowlers looked toothless while defending their total.
The tourists can think of adding Amir Jangoo, who impressed in the ODI series, to the team’s playing XI.
Head-to-head: Matches: 32, Won by India: 21, Won by West Indies: 10, No result: 1.
India’s T20I squad: Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Naman Dhir
West Indies T20I squad: Shai Hope (C & WK), 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, Shamar Springer
