Cheteshwar Pujara says slow Lucknow pitch will not trouble India
Pujara backs India to adapt; Gambhir set to rotate squad across series.
Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara said the slow pitch at Ekana Stadium will not trouble India in the first T20I against West Indies because the team recently faced similar conditions at the Asian Games in Japan. He noted that Abhishek Sharma has improved against off-spin and should handle Roston Chase effectively, though Chase's role remains crucial given India's left-heavy batting lineup.
India coach Gautam Gambhir is expected to rotate the squad across the five-match series, according to bowling coach Morne Morkel. Morkel also backed Kuldeep Yadav as a key threat, noting the spinner is five wickets short of 100 in T20Is.
Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl first. Naman Dhir made his T20I debut while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was left out of the playing XI.
CricHubb Take
Pujara's confidence in Abhishek against off-spin reveals the real selection pressure point: the opener's improvement has made Sooryavanshi's continued absence a calculated bet rather than a temporary delay.