Hyderabad, October 14, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India won the toss and elected to bowl against West Indies in the fourth T20I at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday, with Romario Shepherd returning to the visitors’ playing XI.
India lead the five-match series 2-1 after securing a crucial victory in Indore. The hosts have retained their playing XI, while West Indies have made two changes, leaving out Kamil Pooran and Sampson and bringing in Shepherd and Jewel Andrew.
India captain Shreyas Iyer opted to bowl first, citing the relaid pitch and the possibility of extra bounce due to the hardness of the surface. He also acknowledged the threat posed by the West Indies’ explosive batting line-up, stressing that India would need to avoid complacency and maintain the intensity displayed in the previous match.
“We are going to bowl first. That’s one of the major reasons — the relaid surface. We have played on such wickets before. There is going to be bounce as well because the surface is very hard. We know how destructive the West Indies are, so can’t get complacent. The emotions we maintained throughout the last match were good. Same team,” Iyer said after winning the toss.
West Indies captain Shai Hope said his team would also have preferred to bowl first as they look to bounce back in what he described as a must-win encounter.
Hope emphasised the importance of laying a solid foundation, maintaining clarity in their approach and remaining adaptable to the conditions.
“We would have fielded as well. It’s a must-win game, so we need to pull this one back. We need to give a foundation, just being clear about how we want to go. We have to wait and see; it looks good. Needs to be open-minded. Two changes for us — Pooran and Sampson are out, Romario and Jewel Andrew are in,” Hope said.
Playing XIs
West Indies: Shai Hope (captain and wicketkeeper), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Roston Chase, Keemo Paul, Shamar Springer, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph.
India: Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav.
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