Naman Dhir makes T20I debut; Sooryavanshi left out as India opt to bowl vs...

Naman Dhir became the latest player to make his debut for Team India in the T20Is. The Mumbai India all-rounder played his first match in India colours in the first T20I game of the five-match series, meanwhile the teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has failed to find his place in the India’s playing XI in Lucknow.

Dhir had earlier last month made his ODI debut for team India, and he received his T20I cap from India pacer Arshdeep Singh before the start of the match. The match also marked a landmark occasion for West Indian spinner Akeal Hosein who is playing his 100th T20I match for West Indies.

No place for Vaibhav in the team

One of the most notable names missing in the starting XI of the Indian team for the first T20I match against West Indies was opener Vaibhav Sooryavashi. He had earlier represented India at the Asian Games in the gold-medal match against Pakistan that the team won. However, the teenager is still awaiting his turn to make his debut on the Indian soil.

Captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed that India chose to bowl as he expects dew to come in later in the evening in Lucknow. At the toss, he said, “we are going to bowl first. It is a mixed soil. There will be some dew as well. Travel was pretty hectic. We came last night, today we turned up for the name but we are in the zone.”

He was all praises for the T20 pedigree of the West Indian team and added that the visitors have some brilliant all-rounders who can turn the game around any time with both bat and ball.

Wanted to bowl first too: Shai Hope

West India captain in the white-ball format, Shai Hope said that he would have also preferred to have batted second and chase, since dew is likely to make a big impact and make the conditions easier for the team batting second. “In India, it is usually a lot better to chase, especially due to dew coming into play.” He stressed the importance of adapting to the conditions quickly and said West Indies would rely on the experienced players to support the youngsters in the team.

India Playing XI

Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Abhishik Sharma, Sanju Samon (wk), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Mayank Yadav.

West Indies Playing XI

Shai Hop (Captain and wk), Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde, Roston Chase, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Springer, Shamar Joseph