IND vs WI 1st T20I: Five breakout young India talents under 25 years to watch out for in Trinidad

Add as a preferred source on Google

India are set to face West Indies in the first of the 5-match T20I series at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Thursday, August 3. Seniors Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are not part of the series and the focus will shift on the breakout young India talents who are raring to go under the leadership of Hardik Pandya.

While the likes Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill were already part of the ODI series, Yashasvi Jaiswal is back in the squad for the T20Is and is on the line to make his T20I debut alongside Tilak Varma who has got his maiden India call-up. Jaiswal made his India debut during the 2-Test series which preceded the three ODIs.

A look at five breakout young Indian talents to watch out for in the India vs West Indies T20I series.

Shubman Gill: The 23-year-old batter has already become an all-format player for India at a very young age. In fact, he has also managed to hit a hundred in each of the three formats for India. He has played seven T20I matches till date and scored 202 runs at an average of 40.4 and a strike rate of 165.57.

Gill was on fire during the IPL 2023. The Gujarat Titans (GT) opener scored 890 runs in 17 matches at an average of 59.33 and a strike rate of 157.80. Three hundred and four fifties came off his bat. He is only the second Indian batter to have scored over 800 runs in a single IPL season. Only three other batters have achieved the feat.

He would be looking to carry forward his T20 form in the 5-match series in the West Indies and the USA.

Ishan Kishan: The southpaw batter smashed three consecutive fifties in the ODI and was named Player of the Series. Kishan, who recently celebrated his 25th birthday, has emerged as a strong contender to not only be named in India's squad as a backup opener but also as a wicketkeeper-batter.

Notably, suspense remains over the fitness of KL Rahul and with Rishabh Pant unavailable for selection, Kishan could be seen donning the gloves in the Asia Cup as well the World Cup 2023.

A cracking T20I series versus West Indies would only make his case stronger. In the IPL 2023, the Mumbai Indians (MI) opener scored 454 runs in 16 matches at an average of 30.26 and a strike rate of 142.76.

Tilak Varma: The 20-year-old has made rapid strides and garnered a lot of attention with his performances in the last two IPL seasons. The 2023 edition saw him score 343 runs in 11 matches at an average of 42.87 and a strike rate of 164.11 while batting in the middle-order and playing the finisher's role.

Several India legends including Ravi Shastri demanded his inclusion in India's T20I setup immediately. The southpaw would be aiming to make his debut series a memorable one.

Yashasvi Jaiswal: Everything the southpaw is touching is turning into gold at the moment. He made his Test debut in the series and broke a flurry of records with his 171 runs debut innings off 387 balls. He grabbed the Man of the Match award in the match. In the second Test, the Mumbai batter scored a fifty and followed it up with 38 off 30 in the second innings to finish as the leading run-scorer in the series.

It all started with his cracking IPL 2023 as the opener of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) where he scored 625 runs in 14 matches at an average of 48.07 and a strike rate of 163.61. He also smashed a hundred at his home ground Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Will he score a hundred in his T20I debut as well? We need to keep an eye on the generational talent in the series.

Umran Malik: The 23-year-old pacer from Jammu and Kashmir has a point to prove. Despite an off-coloured IPL 2023 season which saw him pick just five wickets in eight matches at an average of 43.40 and an economy rate of 10.85 for SRH, the management and the selectors have given him the opportunity in the white-ball leg of the West Indies.

He featured in two ODI matches but failed to impress. He bowled three overs each in the first and second ODI and leaked 17 and 27 runs respectively without taking any wicket. The pace sensation would look to change his fortunes with the T20I series.

Note: Ravi Bishnoi, 22, is also one youngster who would be aimimg to make the most of the opportunities. He last played for India in October 2022. The IPL 2023 saw him pick 16 wickets in 15 matches for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).