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India will play its final cricket series of this decade against the power-packed West Indies at home. The two sides will first lock horns in a three-match T20I series before battling each other in three ODIs.
India have been unstoppable at home this year, having already crushed South Africa and Bangladesh. They are yet to lose a series at home in the 2019-20 season.
Last year India had defeated West Indies 3-0 in a three-match T20I series, and the Men in Blue also won the T20I series this year in Caribbean conditions. But although India have a lot of firepower in their team, the visitors possess incredible talent as well.
Moreover, the likes of Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder, Shimron Hetmyer and Evin Lewis also have experience of playing in Indian conditions.
On that note, let us have a look at the combined T20 XI featuring players from both the nations.
#1 Rohit Sharma
Indian vice-captain Rohit Sharma holds the record for the most runs in T20 internationals. The right-handed batsman is the only Indian male player to feature in 100 T20Is, and he also owns the record for the highest number of hundreds in T20I cricket.
Holding the number 8 position in ICC T20 rankings for batsmen, Sharma can be a valuable addition to any T20 team on the planet.
#2 Evin Lewis
Evin Lewis has been an invaluable asset for the West Indies team in the limited overs format. The left-handed opener has replaced Chris Gayle as the team’s big-hitting opener, and has aggregated 753 runs at a strike rate of 153.05 in the 26 T20I matches he has played.
Lewis' explosive performances have earned him the seventh spot in the ICC T20 rankings. Besides, all the IPL franchises will be monitoring his performances because Mumbai Indians have released him from their team.
#3 Virat Kohli (c)
The most consistent batsman of the world, Virat Kohli has a brilliant average of 50.00 in T20I cricket. Kohli has played 72 matches, scoring 2,450 runs at a strike rate of 135.28. Although he has never registered a ton in the T20I arena, he has played multiple match-winning knocks for India.
Kohli has also recorded 22 half-tons in his career. Since he has missed a plethora of T20I matches in the recent past, he would be keen to hit the ground running against West Indies.
#4 Shreyas Iyer
India's new number 4 batsman Shreyas Iyer has all but cemented his position in the team with some fantastic performances. He struck an impressive knock of 62 runs in the final T20I against Bangladesh, and he also recently destroyed the Punjab bowling attack in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.
Iyer has represented India in 11 T20 matches, aggregating 212 runs at a strike rate of 131.67. He has also been a game-changer for Delhi Capitals while batting at number 4 in the IPL.
#5 Nicholas Pooran (wk)
The upcoming wicketkeeper-batsman from West Indies, Nicholas Pooran will make his comeback to cricket on this tour after serving a four-match ban for tampering the condition of the ball. Pooran has been in good form in 2019, and would be looking to continue in the same vein against India.
He struck an unbeaten 56 for Northern Warriors in the T10 League, and his quick-fire batting played a vital role in Guyana Amazon Warriors' success during the Caribbean Premier League 2019.
The left-handed batsman has scored two fifties and taken six catches behind the stumps for the West Indies T20I team.
#6 Kieron Pollard
The new limited overs skipper of the West Indies, Kieron Pollard is a seasoned pro in the world of T20 cricket. Pollard has played nearly 500 T20 matches in his 14-year career. When he was out of the Caribbean team, Pollard regularly featured in several T20 leagues around the world.
Pollard has scored 9,830 T20 runs while also taking 270 wickets. But the 32-year-old all-rounder has focused more on his batting lately, and he showcased his might by hitting six sixes in a T20I match against India earlier this year.
Pollard was recently in action for the Deccan Gladiators team which finished as the runners-up in the T10 League 2019.
#7 Fabian Allen
West Indian all-rounder Fabian Allen was the surprise package of the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots team in the Caribbean Premier League. The slow left-arm orthodox bowler scored an unbeaten 62 runs against the Jamaica Tallawahs and was one of the highest run-scorers for his team this season.
In recognition of his efforts, Allen was called up for the series against Afghanistan. Although he didn't get enough chances to prove his talent, the 24-year-old will try to cement his position in the team with an effective performance against India.
Allen has taken 9 wickets and scored 64 runs in 11 T20Is for West Indies.
#8 Deepak Chahar
In Jasprit Bumrah's absence, Deepak Chahar has emerged as the new leader of the Indian pace bowling attack in T20 cricket.
Chahar single-handedly decimated the Bangladeshi batting lineup in the third T20I of the series as he returned figures of 6/7 in 3.2 overs. He also became the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in T20 internationals.
Chahar has been the lead pace bowler of IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings for a while now. He also proved his talent in the batting department while playing for Rajasthan in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019.
#9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
The right-arm fast bowler from Uttar Pradesh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will make his return to the Indian team for the first time since the West Indies tour. Bhuvneshwar had been nursing an injury and now that he is fit to return, the 29-year-old will look to regain his place in the T20I team.
Bhuvneshwar has played 40 T20I matches in his career, scalping 39 wickets at a fantastic economy rate of 6.85. He can be the 'X-factor' for India in this series.
#10 Yuzvendra Chahal
Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal made his international debut in 2016 and he has become the face of India's spin department since then. Chahal has been captain Virat Kohli's prime choice whenever India have wanted a wicket in the limited overs formats.
The 29-year-old leggie has taken 50 wickets in 34 T20I matches at a strike rate of 16.00. Chahal keeps taking wickets at regular intervals with his wit and variations, and it will be intriguing to see how he performs in the upcoming series.
#11 Sheldon Cottrell
West Indies' left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell will be the center of attention in the three-match T20I series because he has been in great touch this year. Cottrell took three wickets in the series against Afghanistan and he also troubled the batsmen in the Abu Dhabi T10 League.
The Indian batsmen may find it difficult to tackle his left-arm pace. Cottrell had also done well in the World Cup match against India earlier in 2019.
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