India vs West Indies 2023: Best Predicted T20 Series Playing 11

Hardik Pandya to lead a young side as we look at the strongest playing 11 for Team India for the 2023 T20 series vs West Indies. 

Team India are currently playing the 2-match Test series vs West Indies, and are most likely to win the series 2-0; thus kick-starting the World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle with a bang. Post the Test series, Team India will be playing a 3-match ODI series, and then the 5-match T20 series that starts on August 03.

While Test and ODI squad has a lot of senior players in that, the excitement will entail when we head over to the T20 series, which has a lot of exciting young players. It is Hardik Pandya, who would take over the reign from Rohit Sharma to lead a young and dynamic squad with an outlook at Asian Games 2023 and T20 World Cup 2024.

Team India have selected only 15 players for the T20 series, unlike Test and ODI, where they have 16 and 18 players respectively. The squad sees many exciting talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Mukesh Kumar, etc. But will these players get an opportunity, or will Team India stick to previous players?

Well, with the best knowledge we have in hand about players, and their current form, let’s look at the strongest playing 11 for Team India for the 2023 T20 series vs West Indies. Before that, let’s look at the official squad for Team India for the T20 series vs West Indies. Meanwhile, as predicted by leading website Betway, India are favourites to win the 1st ODI with odds at 1.09. 

India vs West Indies 2023 Official T20 Squad for Team India:

Batters: Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma & Yashasvi Jaiswal

WKs: Ishan Kishan & Sanju Samson

All-rounders: Axar Patel & Hardik Pandya

Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Ravi Bishnoi, Umran Malik & Yuzvendra Chahal

Team India’s Strongest Predicted T20 Playing 11

Openers – Shubman Gill & Yashasvi Jaiswal

The last T20 series vs New Zealand saw Team India play wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill as their opening batters for Team India. However, that was the time when Sanju Samson wasn’t present in the middle-order. But with Sanju now back in the squad, will Team India continue to open with Kishan?

If we look at the current scenario, Yashasvi Jaiswal has been in prolific form in Red as well as white ball cricket. Given Jaiswal’s rise as an opener along with phenomenal IPL 2023, and the presence of Sanju Samson in the middle-order, Team India should play him as an opener ahead of Ishan Kishan. 

Middle-order – Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav & Tilak Varma

The middle-order should see a couple of changes now that Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda are not there. Sanju Samson should fill Tripathi’s position, and bat at number 3. Whereas Tilak Varma should make his debut, and play at number 5 position. Above all, Suryakumar Yadav should be the go-to man for Team India at the number 4 position.

Finishers –  Axar Patel & Hardik Pandya (c)

Coming to the all-rounder position, Axar Patel should take Washington Sundar’s place, who wasn’t selected in the squad owing to injury concerns. With Axar playing the role of a finisher at number 7, Hardik Pandya should don his finishing role at number 6 position. While Hardik shall play as the pace all-rounder, Axar will play the role of spin all-rounder.

Bowlers – Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik & Yuzvendra Chahal

Coming to the primary bowling attack in the squad, there shouldn’t be many changes in the 11, except for the fact that Team India can now play both Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal given the West Indies’ slow pitches. With KulCha playing together, India would be back to playing 3 pace and 3 spin combination. 

With Shivam Mavi not selected for the West Indies T20 series, it is pretty clear Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik should lead the pace duties for Team India. India also have Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar, but for the initial couple of matches, one of these should play if India decide to play 4 pace and 3 spin bowling attack. In that case, Kuldeep Yadav should sit out. 

India vs West Indies 2023 – Strongest T20 Series Playing 11 for Team India:

Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik & Yuzvendra Chahal

So, that’s about the strongest playing 11 for Team India for the T20 series vs West Indies. Overall, 8 names mostly select for themselves. The only debatable options for Team India are the choice of wicket-keeper, the inclusion of Yashasvi Jaiswal, and playing a 4+2 or 3+3 bowling combination. Meanwhile, here’s the official T20 series schedule for India vs West Indies. 

India vs West Indies 2023 T20 Series Schedule:

• 1st T20I @ Trinidad – August 03, 8 pm IST
• 2nd T20I @ Guyana – August 06, 8 pm IST
• 3rd T20I @ Guyana – August 08, 8 pm IST
• 4th T20I @ Florida – August 12, 8 pm IST
• 5th T20I @ Florida – August 13, 8 pm IST

Thanks for reading! What’s your India vs West Indies 2023 T20 series playing 11? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com

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