West Indies v India 2023

WI vs IND first T20I live score: Updated scorecard, playing XIs, match stats and Dream11 prediction | West Indies v India

by Wisden Staff August 3, 2023 - 10:56am 4 minute read

India’s T20I series against the West Indies begins today (August 3) at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad. Here’s where to follow the WI vs IND first T20I live score, including full scorecard, live match statistics, playing XIs, and Dream11 fantasy predictions.

WI vs IND 2023, first T20I: Live score for WI vs IND

WI vs IND 2023, first T20I: Toss and Playing XI

Toss: West Indies won the toss and chose to bat first.

West Indies XI: Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Johnson Charles (wk), Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy

India XI: Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar

WI vs IND 2023, first T20I: News and updates

West Indies will be happy to return to their strongest format after suffering a 0-1 loss in the Test series and a 1-2 loss in the ODIs. Having failed to qualify for the main event of the T20 World Cup last year, this will mark the beginning of their quest to get back on track and build up towards the 2024 T20 World Cup. In Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, and Rovman Powell, West Indies have a power-packed middle-order which they would be banking on to come good.

India might hand out as many as three T20I caps today, with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, middle order batter Tilak Varma, and fast bowler Mukesh Kumar all in line to make their debuts. They will be led by Hardik Pandya with Suryakumar Yadav serving as his deputy. The choice of wicketkeeper will be interesting to see as India have the option of left-handed Ishan Kishan who has been in terrific form, and right-handed Sanju Samson who will be better suited to bat in the middle order.

WI vs IND 2023, first T20I: Dream11 fantasy tips

# The pitch at the Brian Lara Stadium has been historically helpful for spinners in the Caribbean Premier League. In the four matches that were played last season, spinners took 22 wickets at an economy rate of 6.02. Even in the only T20I that has been played at this venue (between West Indies and India last year), spinners ruled the roost as they picked 8-88 from 16 overs across both innings combined, while the seamers went at nearly nine runs per over.

# One of the four CPL games last year saw the team batting first make 189-7 and defend it easily, while another saw a team struggle to chase down 117 in 20 overs. In the T20I, India raked up 190-6 and won the game by 68 runs. Overall, four of the five T20s played here in 2022 resulted in victories for the team batting first, suggesting the pitch gets tougher to bat on as the game progresses.

# India have some exceptional players of spin in their batting lineup. Jaiswal averaged 210 against spin in IPL 2023 while striking at 153.28. Suryakumar Yadav had an average of nearly 60 while striking at 147.53. Shubman Gill scored as many as 378 runs against spin while striking at 158.16.

# Ishan Kishan is in serious form with the bat, having scored four half-centuries in his last four innings on the tour. However, his record against spin isn’t the best. In IPL 2023, he was dismissed eight times against spin and averaged 21.12 while striking at 133.07. In T20Is this year, he has an average of 6.25 and a strike rate of 58.13 against spin. West Indies, however, have gone with Akeal Hosein as their lone spinner and have not selected off-spinner Roston Chase.

# Shimron Hetmyer and Johnson Charles have good records at the Brian Lara Stadium and can be backed for this game. Hetmyer averages 31.66 and strikes at 133.17 with three half-centuries from 12 T20s at this venue, while Charles averages 29 and strikes at 128.88 from 10 games. In his last two games here in CPL 2022, he scored two successive half-centuries.

# West Indies captain Rovman Powell has a poor record against spin (average 22.48, strike rate 115.03) and at this venue (average 12.66, strike rate 90.47). He might find it tough to counter the Indian spinners on this track if it provides any sort of assistance to them. Nicholas Pooran has an underwhelming record as well at the Brian Lara Stadium (average 15.54, strike rate 95.53) and although he is coming off the back of a world-class century in the MLC 2023 Final, he might find it hard to adjust to the surface straightaway.