India will be taking on West Indies in the first T20I of the five-match series on Thursday at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba. In the preceding three-match 50-over rubber that had some context in the year of the ODI World Cup, India emerged victorious 2-1 after a shock defeat in the second match. Led by dynamic all-rounder Hardik Pandya, India will look to give opportunities to hungry guys such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma and Mukesh Kumar in these five matches beginning with the opener at the Brian Lara Stadium. It was their stellar performances in the Indian Premier League that have earned the likes of Varma and Jaiswal a maiden call-up to India's T20I squad and they will certainly look to make the most of it.
Here's what we think can be the India's Playing XI for the 1st T20I against West Indies:
Yashasvi Jaiswal: After promising start to his Test career with a century, talented young opener is likely to make his debut his shortest format as well. There are chances that the management might hand over Jaiswal his debut cap and use him as an opener along with Ishan Kishan, instead of Shubman Gill.
Ishan Kishan: The wicketkeeper-batter showcased his immense talent in the recently concluded ODI series as he smashed an half-century in all three games. He will definitely aim to continue his great momentum in the T20Is as well against West Indies.
Shubman Gill: To introduce Jaiswal in the shortest format, Gill might get pushed down the order and bat at No 3. After a brief phase of struggling, Gill roared back to form in the third ODI against West Indies and scored 85 runs. He will look to play another big innings in the first T20I.
Suryakumar Yadav: After struggling in the ODIs, the aggressive batter will look for redemption in the T20Is against West Indies. He scored 35 runs in the third ODI but will aim for a bigger innings.
Sanju Samson: The talented wicketkeeper-batter is one of the most unlucky players. However, he scored an half-century in the third ODI against West Indies and there are chances that the management might go ahead with him instead of picking the debutant Tilak Varma.
Hardik Pandya: The skipper impressed everyone with his leadership and performance in the ODIs, where he was handed over the captaincy in the last matches in the absence of Rohit Sharma. Hardik played a brilliant knock of 70 runs in the third match and will aim to carry his momentum in the T20Is as well.
Axar Patel: The 29-year-old all-rounder got only match to play in the three-match ODI series against West Indies. However, there are chances that he might get included in the Playing XI as he provides depth to both batting and bowling line-up.
Kuldeep Yadav: The left-arm wrist spinner had an impressive outing in the three-match ODI series. He bagged a total of seven wickets, including a four-wicket haul. He will look to get more wickets in the T20Is.
Arshdeep Singh: The 24-year-old pacer is known for brilliant death bowling. Coming from an impressive County stint, Arshdeep will look to deliver a strong performance for Team India in the T20Is against West Indies.
Umran Malik: The young lethal pacer had a forgetful outing in the ODIs and will aim for redemptions in the shortest format. Known for his blistering pace, Umran can be good bowling option in the absence of Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami.
Mukesh Kumar: The 27-year-old pacer had a dreamy debut in the 50-over format as he scalped a total of five wickets in three-matches, including a three-wicket haul in the third match.