3 West Indies players India should be wary of in the T20I series

Having clinched the three-match ODI series against West Indies by a 2-1 margin, Team India will now shift focus to the five-game T20I rubber.

The T20Is will begin with the first game at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad on Thursday. The second and third matches will be played in Guyana, while India will conclude their tour of the Caribbean with two games in Florida.

The Men in Blue will be led by all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who also captained the side in the last two ODIs, with Rohit Sharma being rested. After beginning the ODI series with a win, Team India suffered a hiccup in the second game, going down by six wickets. The visitors, however, recovered in time to claim the series with a 200-run triumph in the decider.

Speaking of T20Is, India and West Indies have met each other 25 times in the format, with the Men in Blue having a dominant record. They have won 17 matches, while the Windies have tasted wins in only four. One match produced no result.

While India have a dominant T20I record over West Indies, we look at three players in the Windies squad that India should be wary of in the T20I series.

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#1 Nicholas Pooran

Nicholas Pooran has been in scintillating form. (Pic: Getty Images)

Experienced batter Nicholas Pooran will go into the home series against India on a high. He was in tremendous form during the recently concluded Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023. Pooran finished as the leading run-getter with 388 runs in eight matches at an average of 64.67 and a strike rate of 167.24.

The attacking left-hander reserved his best for the last, clobbering 137* off only 55 balls as MI New York beat Seattle Orcas in the final to win the inaugural MLC. In a breathtaking display, Pooran struck 10 fours and 13 sixes. Pooran’s knock in the grand finale was the culmination of an amazing run, which also saw him hammer half-centuries in successive matches.

Pooran’s amazing talent has never been in doubt. However, over the years, he has underperformed way too often, be it for West Indies or his franchises, the Indian Premier League (IPL) ones in particular.

Following his stunning success in MLC 2023, though, Pooran will be raring to have a go at the Indian bowlers.

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#2 Shimron Hetmyer

Shimron Hetmyer has a forgettable ODI series. (Pic: Getty Images)

Big-hitting West Indies batter Shimron Hetmyer had a forgettable ODI series against India. In the three-match series, he registered scores of 11, 4, and 9. Not just his scores, but the manner of his dismissals was also disappointing.

Hetmyer was bowled by Ravindra Jadeja in the first one-dayer as he went for an ungainly scoop. In the second game, he was completely foxed by the other left-arm spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, and cleaned up. The left-handed batter’s horror ODI series ended in equally disappointing fashion as he chipped Shardul Thakur to cover in the third ODI.

Being one of the senior members of the West Indies team, Hetmyer will be extremely disappointed with his returns in the ODI series. The 26-year-old will thus be keen to make amends in the T20Is. His explosive potential with the willow is no secret. If he finds his groove, Hetmyer can be a big threat to India’s dominance.

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#3 Obed McCoy

West Indies left-arm pacer Obed McCoy (Pic: Getty Images)

From Mohammad Amir to Shaheen Afridi and Trent Boult to Mitchell Starc, a number of left-arm pacers have troubled Indian batters over the years. West Indies too have one in Obed McCoy. The 26-year-old has tasted success against the Men in Blue in the past.

As a matter of fact, McCoy’s best T20I figures of 6/17 were registered against India in Basseterre in August 2022. He dismissed Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Dinesh Karthik before adding two lower-order wickets.

McCoy’s six-fer saw India being bundled out for 138 in 19.4 overs. West Indies chased down the target in 19.4 overs to register a five-wicket win.

The Windies left-arm pacer has an impressive record in T20Is. In 27 matches, he has picked up 38 scalps at an average of 19.97 and a strike rate of 14.2, with two four-fers to go with his six-wicket haul. McCoy will be keen to make an impact against Indian batters yet again.