West Indies vs India 1st T20 Prediction

If IND Bat First

Predicted Score: 170-180

Batting, too, is their biggest strength and most of the runs can be expected to come from the bats of Kohli, Rohit and Rahane. Kohli, India's run-machine, scored an unbeaten 47-ball 89 against the Windies in the World T20 and he has the most chances of top-scoring in this match. Dhoni returns as the team's skipper and will be playing the role of a finisher in the middle order. India's score should stretch to 180 and beyond if Kohli, Rahane and Rohit do well.

If there is one bowler from the West Indian bowling attack that India will be wary of, it is going to be none other than Sunil Narine. The off-spinner took 7 wickets in the two matches he played at this ground in 2012. All-rounders and seamers Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell can also pose a few problems for the Indian batsmen. But Narine is going to be the trump card for the Windies, and India may not get to the predicted total if he is able to replicate his performance from back then.

WI vs IND Head-to-Head in T20Is

Five T20 internationals have been played between the two teams till date. West Indies have won three of them while India have won two. Both teams have one win each in the two matches played on the Caribbean soil. The most recent match was won by the Windies when they beat India by 7 wickets at the World T20 semi-final in Mumbai.

Our Prediction

West Indies are the two-time World Champions in this format, having first won the World T20 in Sri Lanka in 2012 and then in India this year. They struggle in the longer formats but become a completely different side when it comes to T20 cricket. With plenty of hard-hitters and allrounders in their side, they are one of the most feared T20 teams in world cricket. This year, they have won five of their six T20 matches.
 
India's last T20 action was seen in Zimbabwe a couple of months ago where they won the series 2-1. They too boast an excellent T20 record this year with 15 wins and 4 defeats from 19 games.

West Indies will have an advantage as they have outplayed New Zealand twice at this ground. Though India are going to play here for the first time, we still feel they stand a better chance of winning this contest.