India vs West Indies 1st T20I: Tilak Varma, Mukesh Kumar debut as Powell elects to bat against Hardik & Co.

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India vs West Indies 1st T20I: Having won the ODI series 2-1, the Hardik Pandya-led Indian side is taking on Rovman Powell and his band in the opening T20I of the five-match series on Thursday (August 3) at Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Indian cricket team handed debut caps to young batter Tilak Varma and pacer Mukesh Kumar - who already made his ODI and Test debut on this tour. After winning the toss, the WI captain revealed the reason why he has opted to bat first against a star-studded Indian side.

"We are gonna bat. Looks like a dry surface. India are playing a lot of spinners, let's see how we cope against them. The guys are confident. It's not a complete change in strategy. We are still boundary hitters, we are trying to run hard. We have gone with our strengths," Powell said.

The Indian skipper also threw some light on his team's preparations and what is he expecting with this series. "That (testing youngsters) was the whole plan for this tour as well. We might be coming here to play the World Cup. Some players might get a chance to play here. By the time we come here next time, we'll be prepared," Hardik said after the toss.

The star India all-rounder also spoke about his thought process and revealed the team combination for the 1st T20I. "I try to keep things simple. For me, it's about improving. I focus on processes. You might have some losses and failures, but I am okay with it. It's all about challenging ourselves. Umran, Bishnoi miss out. We are playing three spinners," he added further.

WI vs IND 1st T20I Playing 11

West Indies: Kyle Mayers, Brandon King, Johnson Charles(w), Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell(c), Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy

India: Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar.