Follow UsHaving lost the first T20I by six wickets, West Indies will look to keep the three-match series alive when they take on India in the second T20I at the Eden Gardens on Friday (February 18). The Men in Maroon are yet to win a game on this tour and will have to play out of their skin if they want to challenge Rohit Sharma and Co.
Ground details
The entirety of the T20I series will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, and it surprisingly is a venue where India have had mixed results. A total of nine T20Is have been played by India at the Eden Gardens, but the Men in Blue have emerged victorious only four times. In the first T20I, West Indies posted a total of 157/7 in their 20 overs and India chased it down with seven deliveries to spare.
The surface had something for both batters and bowlers. The likes of Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal and Roston Chase were all amongst wickets, while the seamers too did a decent job. Hence, it would be ideal to have at least two spinners in your team. In the batting department, the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Kyle Mayers, Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were amongst runs.
Team suggestion
Captain selection
When it’s Eden, there is simply no looking beyond Rohit Sharma, who has a staggering record at the venue. In 17 games the Indian skipper has averaged 41.29 while striking at 147.4, and also has a T20 century to his name at the venue. Even in the first T20I, the right-handed opener smoked 40 off just 19 deliveries and looked the most fluent batter in the entire game.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Rohit to score between 40-60 runs in the second T20I.
X-factors
Harshal Patel made his international debut in the T20I series against New Zealand and it didn’t take him long to show the world that his record-breaking IPL campaign was no fluke. The RCB man picked up four wickets in the two games he played and yet again nailed the death overs, deceiving the Kiwis with his change of pace. In the first T20I, the right-arm seamer claimed two wickets and will most probably once again be amongst wickets, considering he bowls at the death.
Nicholas Pooran smoked four fours and five sixes in his 43-ball 61 in the first encounter and has been in pretty decent touch in the shortest format of the game. The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter often struggles for consistency but is still one of the most dynamic players in white-ball cricket. Pooran has scores of 61, 21, 22, 70, 24 and 27 in his last six T20I innings and could also fetch you some crucial points with his wicketkeeping.
Jason Holder didn’t play the first T20I because of a niggle, but if he is available, the fast-bowling allrounder should be the first West Indies player in your team. Man of the Series against England for remarkably picking 15 wickets in 5 games, Holder is in red-hot form. He was one of the very few Windies players who showed fight in the ODIs too, and he had respectable showings with both bat and ball across the three games.
Probable XIs
India - Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar/Shardul Thakur, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal.
West Indies - Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Rovman Powell, Kieron Pollard (c), Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein/Hayden Walsh, Odean Smith, Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell/Dominic Drakes.