West Indies rebuild for T20 World Cup
India are strong favourites to beat West Indies in the first T20I of the series in Kolkata: the odds to win the match stand at 1.31. Despite Washington Sundar being ruled out of the series, India have a strong group of players and have the bowling group to stifle the Windies. After the 3-0 ODI series win, India will be confident of beating West Indies, a team they have dominated in recent times in this format.
West Indies, on the other hand, have gone through na dreadful period in T20 cricket after once dominating the scene in this format. West Indies had a poor T20 World Cup and will be in the qualifiers for the event later this year in Australia. Moreover, they have undergone massive changes in personnel with a few star players leaving the setup. West Indies’ chances to beat India in the first T20I stand at 3.16.
India have eight wins in last nine T20Is against West Indies
India have two exact halves in their head to head record against the West Indies. They lost five of the first seven T20Is against the West Indies before turning the tables and winning eight of the last nine T20I games against them.
RECOMMENDED BET: Back India at 1.31 to win the first T20I!
With the 3-0 ODI series triumph, India will be confident of winning the T20Is despite their struggle in the 2021 T20 World Cup. With one eye on the T20 World Cup later this year, India might look to rotate players and test their options.
Keep an eye on…
Avesh Khan: The IPL star was recently bid for INR 10 crore in the IPL 2022 auction and will look to make an impression in the series. He is likely to start for India in the first T20I and could be a key figure in their plans in the three-match series.
Jason Holder: Jason Holder has stepped up incredibly well in T20Is in the recent past, floating up and down the batting order and doing a fabulous job as a powerplay and death overs bowler. He ended his last T20I against England with a double hat-trick.
TIP: Ishan Kishan will be full on confidence after his IPL auction day and has odds of 7.39 to be India’s top batter.