Arshdeep IN, Samson OUT? India's Likely Playing XI For 1st T20I Against West Indies

The first T20I of the five-match series between India and West Indies is scheduled to take place at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh is all set to return to India’s playing XI for the first T20I of the five-match series against the West Indies which will be played at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday (October 6).

Arshdeep played the one-off T20I between India and Japan in Sano on September 22 but didn’t get a chance to bowl in the rain-curtailed five-overs-per-side match. He was then left out of India’s playing XI for the matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the Asian Games 2026 despite being India’s highest wicket-taker in the shortest format of the game.

Jasprit Bumrah led India’s pace attack in the semifinal and final of the Asian Games 2026, but he has been rested for the home series against the West Indies.

In Bumrah’s absence, Arshdeep is now all set to make his return to India’s playing XI, and along with him, one of Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav will also feature in the XI. Delhi-based pacers Mayank and Prince last played a T20I for India in July 2026 against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club.

Kuldeep Yadav wasn’t part of India’s Asian Games 2026 squad, and he instead played three ODIs against the West Indies and picked up seven wickets. Because of his good show with the ball in the home series last week, the spinner from Kanpur is also expected to be part of the playing XI in the first India-West Indies T20I in place of Ravi Bishnoi.

Bishnoi played for India in the final of the Asian Games 2026 against Pakistan on Saturday (October 3) but conceded 44 runs in his quota of three overs and was not able to take even one wicket.

Washington Sundar and Bumrah were part of India’s playing XI in the Asian Games 2026, but they are rested for the West Indies T20Is. In their absence, India have to make at least two changes.

In the batting, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson could lose his place.

Samson played three T20Is for India in Japan but was only able to score 9, 7 and 2 runs. On the other hand, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made 38 runs from 21 balls in the semifinal and scored 15 runs in the final of the Asian Games 2026.

The young 15-year-old left-handed batter from Bihar could make his much-awaited international debut in India on Tuesday during the first T20I. In place of Samson, India could play one extra bowler or all-rounder, and that opens up space for Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Reddy was pulled out of the Asian Games 2026 squad, and instead of travelling to Japan, he played two ODIs against the West Indies. Even the Andhra-born batting all-rounder failed to do much with the bat and ball in two 50-over matches, but to prepare him for the future, the Indian team management could give him more chances.

Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube are certain to retain their places in the playing XI along with Shreyas Iyer.