Suryakumar Yadav with some Guyanese Under-19 players at Providence
India are 1-0 down in the five-match T20I series against the West Indies in their tour of the Caribbean, but according to leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, India will bounce in the second T20I, which starts today at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence from 10:30h, Eastern Caribbean Time.
Speaking to the media at Providence earlier today, Chahal said: “I think we played good cricket; we missed a little bit. This match, we will bounce back. Last time when I came here, I came in 2019 and it was rain. I watched some CPL matches, but that is totally different. But we will look at the wicket and see how it is going to play.”
Playing three spinners in Tarouba left India with four No. 11s. So, even as they needed only 37 from the final 27 balls, once the last recognised batter – Axar Patel – had fallen, it became a tall ask, although Arshdeep Singh did give West Indies a scare.
Chahal will be a key man for India
That might force India to play Yashasvi Jaiswal, the only spare batter in the squad, leading to a toss-up between Kuldeep and Chahal.
India (probable XI): 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Hardik Pandya (capt), 7 Sanju Samson, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Mukesh Kumar.
Two of the last five T20Is at Providence Stadium in Guyana have been washed out. The scores batting first in the three completed games were 146, 157 and 163, with the chasing team winning twice. Going by that trend, prepare for more middling scores and more rain.
For West Indies, home boys Shimron Hetmyer and Romario Shepherd would want to give the Guyanese fans a game to remember.
West Indies (probable XI): 1 Brandon King, 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Johnson Charles (wk), 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Rovman Powell (capt), 7 Jason Holder, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Obed McCoy.
The third T20I bowls off on Tuesday August 8 at Providence. 1
