India beat the West Indies 2-1 in a high-scoring ODI series this month and the teams meet in Lucknow for Tuesday's first T20I.
The hosts won the T20 World Cup in March, beating the West Indies by five wickets in the Super Eight stage and they are hot favourites to go 1-0 up in this five-match series.
India v West Indies First T20I Tips Summary
Best Bet - Abhishek Sharma player of the match @ 11/2
Alternative Bet - Shimron Hetmyer most West Indies sixes @ 4/1
Bet Builder - India highest score in first six overs, Shamar Joseph 2+ wickets & Rovman Powell 1+ six @ 21/4
India v West Indies First T20I Prediction
Best Bet: Abhishek Sharma player of the match @ 11/2
Sanju Samson was India's hero in their T20 World Cup win over the West Indies, steering his side to a target of 196 with an unbeaten 97.
However, he may well be overshadowed by his opening partner Abhishek Sharma in this first T20I in Lucknow.
The brilliant left-hander smashed 82 and 39 in the first two games of September's series against Afghanistan in Delhi, before making India's fastest T20I century in the final match.
Abhishek struck 108 from just 34 balls and produced another stunning knock in last week's Asian Games final against Pakistan.
His 28-ball 61 contained seven sixes and he is a tempting bet to be player of the match in Lucknow, where he scored 59 from just 20 deliveries in an IPL game in May 2025.
Alternative Bet: Shimron Hetmyer most West Indies sixes @ 4/1
Shimron Hetmyer was rested for the ODI series, but the Windies' big hitter can make a strong start to the T20I series.
Hetmyer hit 19 sixes in seven innings at the T20 World Cup in India - six more than any of his team-mates.
His final innings of the 2026 Caribbean Premier League season was an unbeaten 102, featuring eight maximums, for Guyana against Jamaica.
Hetmyer had warmed up for the World Cup by thumping 20 sixes in six innings against Afghanistan and South Africa and he looks a great bet to hit more maximums than his colleagues.
India vs West Indies First T20I Bet Builder Tip
India highest score in the first six overs
Shamar Joseph 2+ wickets
Rovman Powell 1+ six
Pays 21/4
Back India to make the highest score in the first six overs. The hosts raced to 100-0 in the Powerplay of their most recent home T20I against Afghanistan.
Fast bowler Shamar Joseph dismissed India's Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya in March's T20 World Cup meeting and took 3-29, 3-32 and 5-33 in the Windies' most recent series against Sri Lanka.
Rovman Powell hit two sixes in the T20 World Cup defeat to India and the middle-order man has cleared the ropes 156 times in 106 T20I innings.
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Key Match Stats
India have had opening stands of 123, 111 and 17 in their three T20Is in Lucknow
Ishan Kishan has hit 49 sixes in 29 T20I innings this year
Nitish Kumar Reddy took 3-24 and 3-25 in his last two home T20Is against Afghanistan
West Indies have lost 20 of their last 30 T20Is against India
The Windies hit 10 sixes to India's six in March's T20 World Cup defeat in Kolkata
Shamar Joseph took 11 wickets in three T20Is against Sri Lanka in June
Tactics, Form and Team News
India's T20I squad features most of the players who won this month's Asian Games final against Pakistan.
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for this series, while leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy, another star of the T20 World Cup triumph, is injured.
Predicted India XI: 1 Sanju Samson (wk), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan, 4 Shreyas Iyer (c), 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Prince Yadav, 11 Arshdeep Singh.
West Indies have added batter Amir Jangoo to their T20I squad as cover for Jewel Andrew, who suffered a finger injury in the third ODI.
Opener Kamil Pooran is expected to make his international debut after an impressive CPL campaign for St Lucia Kings.
Predicted West Indies XI: 1 Kamil Pooran, 2 Shai Hope (c&wk), 3 Shimron Hetmyer, 4 Sherfane Rutherford, 5 Rovman Powell, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Matthew Forde, 9 Gudakesh Motie, 10 Akeal Hosein, 11 Shamar Joseph.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
