Lucknow, October 6 (Daily Kiran) : India won the toss and elected to bowl first in the opening T20 match against West Indies at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on October 6, 2026. All-rounder Naman Dheer received his first T20 cap, marking his debut in the format.
Having made his ODI debut on September 27, Dheer is now set to showcase his skills in T20 cricket. In contrast, West Indies veteran Akil Hosein is celebrating his milestone 100th T20 international match.
Following the toss, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer stated, “We will bowl first. The pitch has a mixed surface, and there will be dew. Our journey has been exhausting. We arrived just last night from Japan and are focused and ready for the match. West Indies has been dominant in T20 cricket over the past few years, boasting excellent batsmen and all-rounders. We are eagerly looking forward to this contest. Ravi, Nitish, Vaibhav, and Prince are out of today’s match.”
West Indies captain Shai Hope echoed similar sentiments, saying, “If we had won the toss, we would have opted to bowl too. Chasing targets in India is always beneficial. We need to adapt to the local conditions, as they are different here. Our team has some new players coming in and others leaving. We just need to play our best cricket. We have six options for bowling and some all-rounders as well.”
India recently triumphed over West Indies in a three-match ODI series, winning 2-1. With their eyes set on victory in the T20 series, the host team is determined to continue their success.
India’s playing XI includes: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dubey, Naman Dheer, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mayank Yadav.
West Indies’ lineup features: Shai Hope (wicketkeeper/captain), Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Ford, Roston Chase, Akil Hosein, Shamar Springer, and Shamar Joseph.
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