The last time India played a T20I match was against England in Bristol couple of months ago where Rohit Sharma smashed an unbeaten ton to power the ‘Men in Blue’ to an emphatic series win.

India have been in sublime form in T20Is since their semi-final defeat at the hands of Windies in WT20 but overall, their record hasn’t been great against the defending world champions. With the first T20I to be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, we try to predict India’s playing XI –

Rohit Sharma

In the recently-concluded ODI series, Rohit Sharma was at his imperious best and slammed two centuries and one fifty. Rohit will once again take his position at the top and will look to continue his rich-scoring form in the shortest format as well.

Shikhar Dhawan

Despite Shikhar Dhawan not performing at his optimum level in the recently-concluded ODI series, he is expected to open then innings with Rohit. The southpaw forms a very lethal partnership with Rohit at the top for India and the hosts will hope he will get back to form in style in the shortest format. Dhawan is also within touching distance of becoming only the sixth Indian batsman to cross the 1000-run mark in T20Is and will look to do so in the upcoming series.

KL Rahul

After sitting out for the entire five-match ODI series, KL Rahul is likely to play a big role in the series for India. In the absence of rested Virat Kohli the onus will be on Rahul to come up with the goods for the team. Rahul has tasted success the most in the shortest format recently and will look to perform at his best in the upcoming series..

Manish Pandey

Middle-order batsman Manish Pandey is also viewed as somewhat of a T20 specialist and could make his comeback into the playing XI after watching the ODI series from the bench. What tips the scale in favour of Pandey is that apart from being a good batsman, he is an excellent fielder as well.

Rishabh Pant

Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant has been rewarded with a place in the T20 line-up after leaving his mark in Tests and ODIs respectively. The reason why MS Dhoni is not in the squad is because according to the team management, he wanted Pant to be groomed before the WT20 in 2020. The time has arrived for the swashbuckling wicket-keeper to seal his spot with few good performances in the series.

Krunal Pandya

With no Hardik Pandya in the squad to balance the line-up for India, the onus will be on his brother Krunal Pandya to do that job for the team. Krunal has time and again shown in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Mumbai Indians that he is a very good all-rounder and his time may finally have arrived and he is in line to make his T20I debut for India in Kolkata.

Bhunvneshwar Kumar

India are expected to field their strongest bowling line-up for the first T20I because Windies have been bolstered by the incoming of hard-hitters like Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell, to name a few. Bhuvneshwar Kumar remains one of India’s best bowlers and he is likely to be in the line-up for the clash. Bhuvneshwar has a relatively quiet ODI series according to his own high standards and will look to make amends in the forthcoming T20I series.

Jasprit Bumrah

Fast-bowler Jasprit Bumrah is likely to share the new-ball with Bhuvneshwar Kumar as he remains India’s best bowler in the limited-over formats of the game. Bumrah hit the ground running after being rested for the first two ODIs against Windies. Bumrah is only seven wickets away from becoming the second Indian after R Ashwin to scalp 50 T20I wickets and that will be an added incentive for him.

Khaleel Ahmed

Young pacer Khaleel Ahmed had a good outing in the recently-concluded ODI series where he ended as the third-highest wicket-taker. Khaleel is seen as future prospect for India and is likely to start the match as the team management will look to give him an extended run in the playing XI.

Kuldeep Yadav

Apart from picking up wickets, India’s premier spinner Kuldeep Yadav is known for his abilities to keep the opposition’s run-rate under check and that aids the team in the shortest format, where the batsmen are looking to hit everything out of the park. Kuldeep remains a vital cog in the Indian team and is expected to feature in the first T20I.

Yuzvendra Chahal

Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal forms a very lethal combination with Kuldeep Yadav and whenever the duo bowl in tandem, things happen in the middle. Chahal was among the wickets in the ODI series and will look to continue that form in the upcoming T20I series as well.

First Published: Nov 03, 2018 10:56 IST