Ranchi, October 9, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
West Indies won the toss and elected to bowl against India in the second T20 International at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Friday, with Gudakesh Motie replacing Matthew Forde in the visitors’ playing XI.
West Indies captain Shai Hope said the decision was influenced by the wet conditions and the possibility of further deterioration as the evening progressed. He indicated that his team would look to put India under pressure with the ball before chasing the target.
Acknowledging the short turnaround between matches, Hope said West Indies needed to learn from the mistakes made in the opening game and respond with a stronger performance.
“It’s already a bit wet, so it’s going to get even worse as the evening goes on. We’re just going to try to put them under pressure with the ball and then chase them down,” Hope said after the toss.
He stressed that against a strong Indian side, West Indies could not afford to offer too many opportunities. Motie’s inclusion was the only change to the visitors’ lineup.
India captain Shreyas Iyer said his team would also have preferred to bowl first but would now focus on adapting to the conditions and maintaining its performance standards throughout the 40 overs.
“We were looking to bowl first as well; we will have to adapt quickly. We have talked about maintaining standards for 40 overs. We want to challenge ourselves to get better,” Iyer said, confirming that India would field an unchanged team.
Playing XIs
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Mayank Yadav.
West Indies: Shai Hope (captain and wicketkeeper), Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Springer, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph.
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