IND vs WI: Three players to watch out for in the 1st T20I

After a disappointing semi-final exit at the 2019 World Cup, India will get back on the field once again as the full tour of the West Indies is set to commence on Saturday, August 3. The 'Men in Blue' will be raring to go when they lock horns with the West Indies at Lauderhill, Florida in the first T20I of the three-match series.

Considering that the T20 World Cup in Australia is only a year and a few months away, India will look to start their preparations with this T20I series itself. India's intent to start their preparations for the showpiece event is also reflected in the squad given that there are as many as nine changes to the team that was selected for the lone T20I against Australia in the back-end of February.

The fact that India haven't won the T20 World Cup after the inaugural edition will also act as added motivation for the team to find their best combination and start firing on all cylinders quickly.

With a lot of T20 superstars in their side, West Indies will also pose a very stiff challenge for India in the upcoming series.

So, with an exciting series in the offing, let us have a look at three exciting Indian players who might impress everyone on Saturday and beyond.

Rishabh Pant

India will hope that Rishabh Pant gets through the transition phase quickly and starts to bring his IPL game to the international arena

Rishabh Pant might not be an unknown player anymore given his exploits in the Indian Premier League but he still hasn't produced his best at the international level. In 15 matches, he has only been able to score 233 runs at an average of 19.42.

With some World Cup experience under the belt, Pant will be expected to produce some cracking knocks in the middle-order. With MS Dhoni not in the team, the 21-year-old can be assured about playing all three T20 matches as India's wicket-keeper. Also, Hardik Pandya's absence from the squad also gives a relatively defensive look to India's middle-order. This is where Pant will come in handy with his effortless big-hitting.

Rahul Chahar

Rahul Chahar enjoyed a fruitful 2019 IPL season wherein he took 13 wickets in 13 matches

The last few months have been quite a ride for young Rahul Chahar as he first saw himself pipping fellow leg-spinner Mayank Markande in a strong Mumbai Indians line-up with some strong performances as his team won the IPL. Chahar then added to his impressive reputation with good showings during the limited-overs leg of India A's tour of the West Indies All those efforts meant that the selectors couldn't resist the temptation which ensured that the 19-year-old was rewarded with his first international call-up.

As seen in the IPL, Chahar is a brave leg-spinner who wouldn't hold himself back from throwing up some balls over the batsman's eye-line. He is also clever with his changes of pace and this means that he could be a massive threat for the West Indies who have a reputation of being poor players of leg-spin. With the selectors resting Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra after disappointing performances during the World Cup, this would be an ideal opportunity for Chahar to stamp his class. There is also the added happiness of possibly playing for the country along with his cousin Deepak Chahar and that might just bring out the best out of Rahul Chahar.

Khaleel Ahmed

Khaleel Ahmed had an extraordinary IPL season and he was duly rewarded with a place in the Indian squad.

Ever since the likes of Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra retired, India have been constantly on the lookout for a talented left-arm seamer without much success. Bowlers like S Aravind, Barinder Sran couldn't impress when they were provided opportunities and now the latest trialist is Khaleel Ahmed.

After impressing at the U19 level and putting in consistent performances at the domestic level, India gave him his first cap at the international level during the 2018 Asia Cup. Subsequently, he also played nine T20I matches for India. However, the 21-year-old couldn't make much of a positive impression and ended up on the expensive side on most of the occasions.

His rough period only worsened when he picked up an injury and remained on the bench during the first half of the IPL. However, Khaleel came back strongly with some cracking performances for Sunrisers Hyderabad to end up at the 5th spot in the wicket-takers list and this ensured that he will still be in the selectors' plans for the near future. He extracted a lot of bounce while also moving the ball enough to test the techniques of some of the best batsmen in the world.

Just like Rahul Chahar, Khaleel also added upon to his IPL exploits with good showings during India A's tour of the West Indies. India will hope that Khaleel can bring out his very best during the upcoming T20I series against the West Indies as the side starts its preparations for the T20 World Cup in Australia next year.