Indian captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to field first against West Indies at Lucknow’s Ekana Cricket Stadium. The decision was influenced by expectations of early bowling assistance and potentially improved batting conditions later. With the pitch traditionally favoring teams chasing under lights, India will look to restrict West Indies before pursuing the target.

All-rounder Naman Dhir earned his official T20I debut for India after previously making his ODI appearance. However, highly anticipated youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi missed out on a spot in the final lineup alongside wrist-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Prince Yadav. (T20I score)

Can India’s Spin Duo Disrupt West Indies’ Middle Order?

West Indies captain Shai Hope spearheaded the visitors’ top order by reaching a crisp half-century off 37 deliveries. Despite his fluent strokeplay, Indian spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav applied consistent pressure, picking up critical wickets to disrupt the visitors’ middle-order partnerships.

Debut performer Naman Dhir delivered an outstanding initial spell, removing Shai Hope right after his milestone and collecting two quick wickets in three overs. India faces West Indies in T20I combat following their recent gold medal victory at the Asian Games, seeking to build early momentum in this five-match international bilateral series.