India Keep Faith With Winning XI for Ranchi T20I as West Indies Weigh Gudakesh Motie Recall

India Look to Press Home Their Advantage

India will step out at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on October 9 looking to go 2-0 up in the five-match T20I series against West Indies, with an unchanged side the likely call. The second T20I starts at 7 pm IST.

India lead the series 1-0 after winning the opener in Lucknow, completed with ease and 5.2 overs to spare. Shreyas Iyer, by his own admission, “didn't know where he was” after cracking a 42-ball hundred — such had been the effect of travel on the team — yet the jetlag had no bearing on the performance of a side he later described as “exultant”. With a day to spare after travelling to Ranchi, the team would have caught up on some rest.

No Injury Concerns, Dhir Adds a Second Dimension

India have no injury concerns and are likely to keep the same combination. Naman Dhir, with three wickets on debut, adds a useful secondary dimension to the spin pair of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, while the batting is filled with first-choice options.

Should India decide to try out options, Prince Yadav could swap in for Mayank Yadav, who was slightly expensive in the first game.

Predicted India XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Mayank Yadav/Prince Yadav.

West Indies Hunt for a Spin Option

West Indies flexed their batting muscle in the ODIs, but aside from Shai Hope's steady 52 at the top and Sherfane Rutherford's power-packed fifty in the middle, it was a string of come-and-go appearances in the T20I opener. Hope later described the batting as “chaotic”.

Given the form he is in, Hope would need the top order to bat around him, especially as India's spin trio can stall West Indies in the middle. The captain also felt his side were a spinner short, which meant they couldn't strangle India's batting early. By the 10-over mark, the game had already drifted away — something that would surely have found a mention in their review notes.

Jewel Andrew's injury extended Amir Jangoo's India trip into the T20Is as well, but there might not be immediate space for the in-form batter in West Indies' power-packed line-up. They could, however, rejig the bowling based on conditions. Bringing in another spinner could be wise without compromising the lower order, so Gudakesh Motie could get a look-in.

Predicted West Indies XI: Shai Hope (c&wk), Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde, Shamar Springer/Gudakesh Motie, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph.

Venue, Conditions and the Numbers Behind the Game

When: October 9, 2026, 7pm IST. Where: JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi.

India have played four T20Is at the venue, the last of which was in 2023. The average first-innings score in those matches was 161, with an even 2-2 win split between teams batting first and second. Temperatures have run through the high 20s in the afternoon, with a slight bit of rain in the air on Thursday and Friday, though the forecast appears clear around match timings. Ahead of the game, India's batting coach called it a good batting wicket that could make for a high-scoring clash.

Did you know?

• Akeal Hosein has the most T20 wickets (74) in overs 1-6 since 2024 among all spinners.
• In Lucknow, Naman Dhir became the third Indian spinner with a three-fer on T20I debut after Pragyan Ojha (2009) and Axar Patel (2015).
• Axar Patel has the second-best economy (6.77) among all spinners in overs 1-6 this year, bettered only by Sunil Narine (5.25).

What They Said

“As a batting coach, whichever ground Ishan plays on, he treats it as his home ground. That's how he plays. Since the World Cup, he has been doing really well for India. When he was young, even when I worked with him in the IPL for Gujarat Lions, he played aggressively. If anything, he is much more mature now,” said India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, on local boy Ishan Kishan, ahead of the second T20I.

“Sometimes you'd want a few more all-rounders to be bowling, some different options for you. But just the combination we had to go with today, we expected guys to execute regardless of what skill set they bring to the table. But we just didn't have enough to get over the line today against India,” said West Indies captain Shai Hope after the first T20I.