India vs West Indies 1st T20I Highlights: Bowlers, Suryakumar guide India to easy 6-wicket win

Fresh from a stupendous comeback series in the ODIs, Yuzvendra Chahal will be India's regular spin option but it remains to be seen if exciting Rajasthan leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi gets a maiden call up. He was rewarded after an impressive run in the IPL and domestic circuit to be selected for the series. With Washington Sundar ruled out of the series with a hamstring injury, it remains to be seen if the youngster from Jodhpur will get his maiden International cap.

India have a packed white ball calendar in the run up to their T20I World Cup opener against Pakistan on October 23. So, it would not be a bad ploy for the think tank to give some much deserved rest to the dashing Pant as Ishan seems to be a confirmed selection in the side. This will help Rohit try out both Shreyas Iyer and Surkyakumar Yadav in the same XI. The duo was in fine form in the recently-concluded ODI series. Suryakumar was the top scorer in the ODI series with 104 runs at an average of 52.00, while Iyer scored a match-winning 80 in their 3-0 series sweeping win in the third ODI. India also have some exciting options lower down the order with the likes of Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar and Harshal Patel.

It will also be interesting if Virat Kohli comes out to open with Rohit to get among runs as he's been dealing with a lean patch. His last international century came at this very venue way back in November 2019 in the pink ball day/night Test against Bangladesh.

Just the other day at the IPL mega auction, wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan hit the jackpot by landing a Rs 15.25 crore deal with Rohit's franchise Mumbai Indians. The young gun will be looking to impress in the 3-match series at the top of the order as he will be replacing India's regular T20I opener KL Rahul, who has been ruled out due to a left hamstring strain.

The first puzzle to solve for Rohit will be getting the opening combination right. Who would be ideal to partner the skipper in the shortest format -- KL Rahul, Ishan or someone else? Ishan opened in the first match of their preceding three-match ODI series against the Caribbean team in Ahmedabad but the skipper also tried out Rishabh Pant and Shikhar Dhawan. While Ishan may be the preferred choice, Rohit also has options in Maharashtra run machine Ruturaj Gaikwad who has been in red hot form but has only been warming the bench. Then there is Venkatesh Iyer, the KKR all-rounder who shot to prominence in the UAE leg of the last IPL as a big-hitting opener with 320 runs at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 125. He was just behind Gaikwad who had more runs (407) in this period.

Rohit, under whom Mumbai Indians have won five IPL titles, would be looking to sort out issues such as the opening blues, the middle-lower order conundrum and also the bowling strategies. And he will have a happy headache of plenty while trying to firm up the squad.

India will look to make amends and rebuild the side with a packed T20 calendar lined up ahead of the marquee event in Australia beginning October 16.

India were the pre-tournament favourites but made a shocking group stage exit in the last T20 World Cup held in the UAE in October-November. The shambolic campaign exposed loopholes in the team combination and temperament, spoiling Virat Kohli's swansong as T20 skipper.

Flush with exciting talent and focused on the T20 World Cup in exactly eight months' time, the Rohit Sharma-led Team India would be aiming to get its combinations right when it takes on the West Indies.