India and West Indies have been the two most friendly sides when it comes to the T20 format where we have has seen ‘bromances’ of Kohli & Gayle, Rohit & Polly(Pollard), MSD & DJ Bravo. But when it comes to playing for their national teams, the rivalry in the game is top-notch. Polly & his men are all set to challenge the invincible Indians. So what are some fantasy cricket tips and tricks that can give you the edge?
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
The Rajiv Gandhi stadium boasts of a big ground with lightning fast out field. While the venue has a big stadium capacity, it will be a little tough to clear the ropes considering the 70m boundaries. West Indies boasts of a power-packed combination of big hitters like Evin Lewis, Kieron Pollard & classy players like Shai Hope. India relies more on class so you might be in for a flourish of boundaries from the bats of Rohit,KL & Captain Kohli himself. Shreyas Iyer, whom we have seen hit big sixes against Bangladesh can come in handy as the power hitter today.
Also Read : India vs West Indies 2nd Test: Our Top Fantasy Picks
Pitch & Conditions
The pitch might be helpful to the pacers but otherwise it has a history of being flat and a batting paradise. Remember the dual century partnership between David Warner & Jonny Bairstow for Hyderabad Sunrisers in the IPL? This was the same ground where the 2 swashbuckling openers created history.
Playing 11 Updates
Nicholas Pooran, who is facing a 4-match ban will not be seen in the 1st T20 but hopefully we’ll see the wicketkeeper batsman in the next 2 T20is. Putting an end to the Pant v/s Samson debate, Rishabh Pant will definitely be getting his fair chance in the 1st T20 after Captain Kohli’s conference last night. However, this will be yet another decider for the stylish left hander as his contemporary Samson is waiting for his golden call in the team. Manish Pandey, who’s been in the form of his life knows the conditions of his home ground really well and the same goes for the comeback man, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Kohli will have to find a way to include the 2 in the 11. While Shami & Kuldeep are back in the T20 side, they might just have to wait for the next T20 to happen. Washington Sundar, Ravi Jadeja & Yuzi Chahal might be the spinning options because it’s an interesting fact to be noted that West Indies’ record against the wrist spinners hasn’t been that good while Jadeja’s inclusion would be obvious considering his top-form in the recently concluded Test series.
India’s Predicted 11 : Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar & Yuzvendra Chahal
Although considering Captain Kohli’s statement in the conference yesterday we might see another bowling option in Shivam Dube for Manish Pandey when he stated, “You have got to have 6 bowling options in the side”
West Indies Predicted 11: Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Shai Hope, Shemron Hetmyer, Brandon King, Keiron Pollard, Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Hayden Walsh Jr & Keemo Paul
Now coming to the golden question: What has to be your best fantasy cricket team combination?
Top Fantasy Picks
Must-haves: Rohit Sharma (highest run scorer in India vs West Indies encounters), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Evin Lewis (two hundreds against India in T20is, both winning causes), Jason Holder (the number one all-rounder) & Keiron Pollard (playing the senior citizen role with the recent strike rate of 156+)
Value Pick: If he plays, the recent Carribean T20 find who goes by the name of Hayden Walsh Jr would be a value pick considering his credits of only 8.5. He has been a good wrist spinner in the recently concluded T20 season. Another surprise for the West Indies could be Brandon King. For India, Deepak Chahar, Shivam Dube (keep an eye on line ups) & Washington Sundar can prove to be the game changers.
Apart from the above tips, keep an eye on KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Sundar (deserves another mention) who are coming from the Mushtaq Ali T20 domestic season with top notch forms. Rahul will be seen back as an opener with the absence of an injured Shikhar Dhawan. So, it’s going to be the best time for him to pull off a blinder against his favourite T20 competition. Rahul has scored a century in the adventurous T20 clash against the Windies where over 450 runs were made in a single match. Virat Kohli would be back after a long time in the T20s so he would be the one controlling the batting in the middle order. For the West Indies, a similar role would be played by Shai Hope.
Playing 11 for your Fantasy Cricket Team
Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul(VC), Virat Kohli(C), Shreyas Iyer, Evin Lewis, Jason Holder, Kieron Pollard, Rishabh Pant (wk), Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal & Hayden Walsh Jr
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