Shreyas Iyer’s Indian side will begin a five-match T20I series against the Windies and the hosts are likely to get back to two specialist pace bowlers on home surfaces after playing with only Jasprit Bumrah in their Asian Games 2026 campaign. With Bumrah rested for the series, Arshdeep Singh will be back to lead the attack while Lucknow Super Giants tearaway Mayank Yadav is expected to take the new ball with him.
Mayank’s entry means that Sooryavanshi will need to make way in the playing 11 with Sanju Samson returning as opener to pair up with Abhishek Sharma. Team India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel also reiterated the fact that Sooryavanshi will need to bide his time before he gets a longer run in international cricket.
“We all know the talent of Vaibhav. The more time he spends in this environment with the quality players, the more time he trains at this standard, will only be great for his cricket,” Morkel said at the pre-match press conference in Lucknow on Monday.
“And if he’s not getting that game time, he’s still on a bus, in the dugout, in the hotel with guys with a lot of experience. With him sharing that sort of dressing room and talking to guys, or just actually watching how the guys go through their processes and how they set up innings, will be key for him,” Morkel added.
Apart from the opening combination, chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav is also expected to play as the specialist spinner ahead of Ravi Bishnoi. Morkel, meanwhile, was excited to see Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav in the squad – with the two of them expected to partner Arshdeep through the series.
“If you look at Mayank, immediately that comes to mind is his pace, his X-factor. I think for me, Prince, where he was a net bowler a couple of years ago, he’s now playing for India. That resilience, the hard work that he’s put into his game to reach international stage is admiring. So for me, that shows that these guys are hardworking players,” Morkel said.
Meanwhile, Shai Hope’s West Indies are expected to hand debut to Caribbean Premier League sensation Kamil Pooran. The 30-year-old from St Lucia Kings hammered 276 runs in 8 matches in CPL 2026 at an average of 39 and strike-rate of 159.64 with 2 fifties.
India vs West Indies 2026 1st T20I match Predicted 11
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mayank Yadav/Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh
West Indies: Shai Hope (c and wk), Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph, Matthew Forde