EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE DELHI THE HINDU 18 SPORT FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2019 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE India’s recent form makes it the overwhelming favourite Men in Blue have won all six T20Is against West Indies in the last 13 months; visiting skipper Pollard, however, happy to put his faith in an unproven unit What’s on the horizon: Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson and Yuzvendra Chahal prepare for the T20I series against the West Indies. * K.V.S. GIRI WI IN INDIA The West Indians have not ken of but there has been no mances in the 2019 Carib­ rently 5 — in the shortest Bhuvneshwar Kumar for this batting order, with K.L. Ra­ Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh arrived in the best of shape. comeback yet. bean Premier League. format. series), one wrist­spinner hul, Rohit, Kohli and Shreyas Pant, Shivam Dube, Washington Shreedutta Chidananda Theirs is a relatively inexpe­ The limited­overs captain­ Lendl Simmons, who Bilateral T20Is were an op­ (Yuzvendra Chahal or Kul­ Iyer automatic choices here. Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuz­ Hyderabad rienced outfit, fresh off a cy has now been handed to caused India much pain in portunity to experiment, he deep Yadav), a seam­bowling Rishabh Pant, in whose de­ vendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, India and the West Indies T20I series defeat to Afghan­ Kieron Pollard, who dashed that 2016 World T20 semifi­ said on Thursday, a chance all­rounder (Shivam Dube fence Kohli spoke out at the Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, have faced each other in six istan. A number of star off to Abu Dhabi himself after nal, is back in the fold after a to give fresh recruits a taste until Hardik Pandya recov­ pre­match press conference, and Sanju Samson. T20 Internationals over the names are absent, either the Afghanistan T20s last two­year absence. In Alzarri of international cricket be­ ers), and two differing spin­ will likely be persisted with. last 13 months. From Lauder­ through injury or other month. Joseph and Sheldon Cottrell, fore easing them into more bowling all­rounders in Ra­ Whatever eleven Kohli West Indies: Kieron Pollard hill to Lucknow, these fix­ reasons. West Indies has two good fast high­pressure environments. vindra Jadeja and Washing­ and the team management (Capt.), Fabian Allen, Sheldon tures have produced the Andre Russell has had his Upbeat bowlers, while Nicholas Poo­ But with the T20 World ton Sundar. Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Ja­ choose to field, India will son Holder, Brandon King, Evin same result every single time knee issues but was fit Pollard has quite the task on ran, Evin Lewis and Shimron Cup on the horizon, Kohli Kohli insisted that having start as the overwhelming fa­ Lewis, Keemo Paul, Khary — an Indian win. enough to play in the Abu his hands. But the West In­ Hetmyer are competent was clear that India would six bowling options was “a vourite. West Indies has won Pierre, Nicholas Pooran, Denesh So the ordinary fan might Dhabi T10 league; Chris dies skipper sounded upbeat batsmen. field teams "as close to" its basic rule” in T20 cricket, only one bilateral T20 series Ramdin, Sherfane Rutherford, be forgiven any lack of enthu­ Gayle's future is unclear; and on Thursday, happy to put India will thus be cau­ first­choice XI "as possible” which was interesting given in the last two years; it would Lendl Simmons, Hayden Walsh siasm when the two teams Sunil Narine has hurt his fin­ his faith in an unproven unit. tious, aware that its own per­ hereafter. that Rohit Sharma, who led require some effort from Pol­ Jr., and Kesrick Williams. meet again this month, for a ger. Opener Brandon King and formances in T20 cricket Going by the captain's India against Bangladesh, lard's men to triumph on Umpires: C. Shamsuddin and three­match T20I series that A return to international leg­spinner Hayden Walsh, have been far from spectacu­ statements on Thursday, had fielded only five bowlers these shores. Nitin Menon. TV umpire: Anil begins at the Rajiv Gandhi In­ cricket for Dwayne Bravo, who has also represented the lar. But Virat Kohli did not such a line­up would include in the last T20I in Nagpur. The teams (from): Chaudhary. Fourth umpire: O. ternational Stadium here on who last played for the West USA, are here on the seem too concerned by In­ two pace bowlers (from Dee­ There is little doubt India: Virat Kohli (Capt.), Rohit Nandan. Match referee: David Friday. Indies in 2016, has been spo­ strength of their perfor­ dia's results or ranking — cur­ pak Chahar, Md. Shami and around the top four in India's Sharma, K.L. Rahul, Shreyas Boon. Match starts at 7 p.m. Front-foot no-balls to ‘We will be flexible, unpredictable’ Kohli puts his weight behind Pant be third umpire’s call Team combination getting stronger, says India captain ‘Once he comes good, you will see a different version of him’ V.V. Subrahmanyam V.V. Subrahmanyam Special Correspondent foot, the third umpire will HYDERABAD HYDERABAD HyderaBad communicate this to the “Twenty20 cricket is all India captain Virat Kohli was Front­foot no­balls in the on­field umpire who will about being flexible. There unequivocal in his support upcoming T20I and One­ subsequently call a no­ won’t be a set pattern. The for ‘under fire’ wicketkeep­ Day International series ball. combination or playing ele­ er­batsman Rishabh Pant. ven might look similar, but “He needs to be left alone, between India and the “As a result, the on­ there is nothing like ‘this is we know he’s a match­win­ West Indies will be field umpire will not call a how we are going to go.’ We ner and once he comes decided by the third front­foot no­ball without have to be unpredictable,” good, you will see a different umpire and not the on­ the advice of the third India captain Virat Kohli told version of him,” he said. field officials, the umpire,” it added. International Cricket the media on the eve of the Kohli’s backing should first T20I against the West bolster the youngster’s con­ Council (ICC) announced Benefit of doubt on Thursday. Indies. fidence. The ICC said the benefit “T20 is a format where In the groove: Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Rishabh “We certainly believe in Technology on trial of doubt in close calls you experiment a lot more Pant and Bhuvneshwar Kumar give their captain reason Rishabh's ability. It’s the would lie with the bowler. than in ODIs or Tests. And to feel confident. * K.V.S. GIRI player’s responsibility to The technology to call you take a lot more risks in work hard and perform, but “It’s important to note front­foot no­balls will be terms of what you want as a two finger­spinners in the On Sanju Samson’s chanc­ there’s a collective responsi­ that any benefit of the put to trial in the first team,” he said. squad, the captain felt it was es of playing in the eleven, bility as well to give him the doubt lies with the T20I in Hyderabad on The captain was happy a big advantage, especially Kohli said the batting order space to do well,” the cap­ Friday. bowler, and if a late no­ with his pace attack as it on the big grounds in Austra­ had a settled look now. tain said. Giving him his space: The team has to rally around the ball call is communicated, “Throughout the trial, comprised experienced and lia. “It is all about balance. “If he misses a chance pe­ beleaguered Rishabh Pant, feels Virat Kohli. * K.V.S. GIRI then the on­field umpire the third umpire will be consistent bowlers like You need to have six bowling Batting in tandem ople should not be shouting will rescind a dismissal (if responsible for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit options in T20 cricket, that’s “The responsibility to bring ‘MS’ in the stadium. It’s not IPL because he’s free, re­ for the team, all of us collec­ applicable) and call no­ monitoring every ball Bumrah and Mohammed the basic rule,” he said. control in the middle­order respectful. No player would laxed there. He feels there’s tively need to make him feel ball,” the statement said. bowled and identifying Shami. “This is really Jaddu’s (Ra­ is on me. The other batsmen like that to happen. If you’re a lot more respect when it he belongs,” the captain whether there has been Based on this trial, the “Deepak (Chahar) is really vindra Jadeja) best phase as will be able to express them­ playing in your own country, comes to his ability,” said said. On whether Pant any front­foot ICC will gauge whether bowling well. Also, a couple an all­rounder. And Washi selves and play freely. This is you should get support rath­ Kohli. would be used as an opening infringement,” the ICC the system has a more guys are under the (Washington Sundar) has the meaning of batting in er than have people waiting “He needs to be given batsman, Kohli said: “Not said in a statement. beneficial impact on the scanner for sealing a spot been brilliant with the new partnership — one or two for you to make a mistake,” space, but not isolated to the really, in the Indian team if “If there has been an decision­making process alongside the three main ball. So, we’re very happy control the batting, the rest Kohli said.