Teams:
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik(w), Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, K Khaleel Ahmed
West Indies (Playing XI): Shai Hope, Denesh Ramdin(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Carlos Brathwaite(c), Fabian Allen, Keemo Paul, Khary Pierre, Oshane Thomas
Rohit Sharma: We would have bowled first. There is grass on the pitch and I am hoping pitch will hold up. But I am not sure about the outfield as there is lot of dew. We have Bhuvi back in our team, in place of Umesh. It is good to have Buvi back but it is unfortunate for Umesh to miss only after one match but team composition is very important.
Carlos Brathwaite: We will bowl first. This is a new stadium, first international game and we want to chase. Dew factor is also one of the reasons but it's more about the pitch. We have one change in the team. Nicholas Pooran is in the team in place of Rovman Powell. He is a good player of spin and he is a left-hander so that will add balance to our team.
TOSS: West Indies skipper Carlos Brathwaite wins toss, opts to bowl against India
PREVIEW:
It's always a gamble to predict winners in the shortest format of cricket. More so, if the game is between world T20 champions West Indies and India. But the hosts, after their win in the opener in Kolkata, will be on a high and look to wrap up the three-match series in Lucknow on Tuesday, before the bandwagon moves to Chennai for the final game of what has been a long and testing tour for the visitors.
This being the inaugural international game at the venue, the wicket can hold some surprises. The strip, though, is devoid of grass and seems set for a runathon.
With India experimenting with alternatives in search of resources before the ODI World Cup next year, there will be an opportunity for youngsters to showcase their talent. Krunal Pandya and Khaleel Ahmed did well in their debut matches in Kolkata, and the side is likely to field a few more new faces in the next two games.
Dhoni's absence will provide both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik yet another chance to showcase their ability. Pant, so far, has been bold with the bat but needs to tighten up things while wearing the gloves. Karthik, on the other hand, came up with a responsible innings to guide India to victory after initial wobble in the opening game.
The presence of five spinners – Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Nadeem – in the squad points to the fact that the selectors want to test all the probable tweakers before deciding the team for the World Cup.
The visitors have their share of problems. The biggest has been the lack of consistency. The batting, except for some bright patches from Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope, has looked clueless. Now with Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Carlos Brathwaite back in the side, they will have more choices to attack the Indians.
West Indies' bowling too has lacked sting. Paceman Keemo Paul has displayed some spark, but has lacked variations to cage in the Indians. Rest of his partners have been nothing more than mediocre.
from Times of India https://ift.tt/2PIceiG
