India and the West Indies will face off in the first T20I of their five-match series at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on October 6, 2026. India won the toss and chose to field first. The series will then move to Ranchi, Indore, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru for the remaining four matches. India entered this T20I series having won the previous three-match ODI series against West Indies 2-1. Shreyas Iyer leads the team, and Tilak Varma has been named vice-captain.
Samson did not appear entirely at ease at No. 3 in the two games he appeared in that role. Nevertheless, he has a solid track record in sub-continental conditions and previously scored a few half-centuries during India’s most recent home T20I series against Afghanistan. India also gave Naman Dhir his debut in T20I cricket. Arshdeep Singh presented the all-rounder with his first T20I cap. Dhir made his ODI debut against the West Indies on September 27 and is now set to play in the shortest format.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is included in India’s 15-member T20I squad but has not been chosen for the Playing XI in this opening match. No official explanation regarding injury, suspension, or disciplinary action has been given for his absence. He stayed on the bench, and at the time of the toss, no explanation from either the captain or the selector was available.
Sooryavanshi performed well at the Asian Games, particularly in the semi-final where he delivered a quickfire cameo under challenging batting conditions. Nevertheless, he has been replaced for the first match against the Caribbean team. Naman Dhir has been included in the side unexpectedly. He is making his T20I debut following his ODI debut in the previous 50-over series against the same team. In addition to Sooryavanshi, Prince Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, and Nitish Kumar Reddy are also present on the bench. Meanwhile, Amir Jangoo, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, and Quentin Sampson were the four West Indies players who did not make the playing XI.
INDIA PLAYING XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson ( w), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer ( c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Mayank Yadav
WEST INDIES PLAYING XI: Shai Hope ( w/ c), Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde, Roston Chase, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Springer, Shamar Joseph
