West Indies vs India, 1st T20: Where to watch, prediction, possible XI and betting odds
West Indies and India face off in the first T20 at South Florida on 27 August.
West Indies take on India in the first game of the two match Twenty20 International (T20I) series at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground on 27 August (Saturday).
Where to watch live
Match starts at 3pm BST. There is no live coverage of the game in the UK.
Overview
South Florida in the USA will get another taste of cricket with heavyweights West Indies and India in town to take part in a two-match Twenty20 series. Fresh from their 2-0 drubbing at the hands of the opposition in Test matches, West Indies will look to give a better account of themselves in a format they are the most comfortable in.
The reigning T20 champions who are currently ranked number three in the world rankings come into this clash welcoming some of their stars who were missing from the Test series. With Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine expected to feature, West Indies will arguably be confident of beating any team in the world.
The Windies will be without Darren Sammy who was axed from the squad, with Carlos Brathwaite named as the new skipper. How Brathwaite copes with the pressure will determine whether the selectors have made the right choice as Sammy was a very popular figure in the dressing room.
Their opponents, India, who are currently ranked number two in the world, are arguably the most popular team on the planet. The Men In Blue who had a very successful time in the Test series, will welcome back regular skipper MS Dhoni in the fold, and he will be looking to get his season underway on a positive note.
Despite facing a team as strong as the West Indies, India come into this clash as the favourites and in Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Dhoni, have players capable of winning games in a matter of minutes. With the crowd expected to be filled with expat Indians, the Men In Blue will be expected to put on a show and live up to their billing as favourites.
Prediction
West Indies to win
Betting odds (ladbrokes)
- West Indies to win: 4/5
- India to win:1
Team news
West Indies
Squad: Carlos Brathwaite (c), Andre Russell, Andre Fletcher (wk), Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Evin Lewis, Jason Holder, Johnson Charles, Kieron Pollard, Lendl Simmons, Marlon Samuels, Samuel Badree, Sunil Narine.
India
Squad: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Mohammad Shami, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Stuart Binny, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli.
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