West Indies v India: Rahul Chahar, Nicholas Pooran and other key players to watch in T20 series

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  • Rahul Chahar (l) is set to make his India debut in the Caribbean.

    The West Indies and India are about to shake off their post 2019 World Cup slumber with the two sides set to lock horns in a three-match T20I series which begins in Florida on Sunday.

    With the 2020 T20 World Cup just a year away, both sides will be hoping to use the series as a launchpad for their preparations for the tournament in Australia.

    As the Windies and India prepare to battle in the United States, we look at the three key players from each side who will be worth keeping an eye on in the three-match series.

    WEST INDIES

    Nicholas Pooran

    It was largely a World Cup campaign to forget for the Windies in England but there were still some big positives to take away for the Caribbean side. The most prominent of them was the performance of young wicketkeeper batsman Nicholas Pooran.

    The 23-year-old southpaw struck a fine ton and two half-centuries in the tournament and has been growing in influence at the international level. His aggressive stroke-play makes him a dangerous player in the T20 format and India’s bowlers will be wary of his prowess with the bat.

    Pooran is one of the most stylish batsmen on the circuit.

    Pooran is one of the most stylish batsmen on the circuit.

    Andre Russell

    The star Windies all-rounder’s World Cup campaign turned out to be a damp squib in the end despite the hype surrounding his IPL performances for Kolkata Knight Riders.

    Russell was good with the ball but failed to show up with the bat before a troublesome knee injury cut short his campaign. He has now been deemed fit to play in the T20 series and the powerful unit will be eager to make amends for his World Cup displays.

    If he gets going, India’s bowlers could be in for a torrid time.

    Carlos Brathwaite

    The all-rounder had announced himself to the world in style with his extraordinary heroics in the 2016 World T20 final against England but all that promise was starting to fade away with unconvincing subsequent displays.

    Brathwaite’s international career has now been revived following his sensational ton against New Zealand in the World Cup which nearly dragged the Windies to an improbable victory.

    The 31-year-old has been handed the captain’s armband for the upcoming series and he will be determined to show that his World Cup showing was no fluke.

    Brathwaite's registered his maiden international ton in the WC.

    Brathwaite registered his maiden international ton in the WC.

    INDIA

    Shikhar Dhawan

    It was an unfortunate and premature end to Shikhar Dhawan’s World Cup campaign with the opening batsman’s injury in the second match against Australia ruling him out for the remainder of the tournament.

    It was in all probability the last 50-over World Cup campaign for the 33-year-old and he will be determined to now shift his focus to the T20 World Cup in Australia.

    The left-hander is a veteran of 50 T20Is and has maintained an impressive strike-rate of more than 130. He will be keen to make the opening slot his own in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup.

    India batsman Shikhar Dhawan.

    India batsman Shikhar Dhawan.

    Rahul Chahar

    India have omitted the wrist-spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav from the T20 squad and instead handed a maiden call-up to young leg-spinner Rahul Chahar.

    The 19-year-old made his mark in the IPL earlier this year with an excellent debut campaign for eventual champions Mumbai Indians. He claimed 13 wickets in as many matches and did it while maintaining a terrific economy-rate of just six.

    Chahar has shown that he has a calm head on young shoulders and he will not be fazed while facing up to the Windies batsmen in his maiden international outing.

    Rishabh Pant

    This will be a chance for Rishabh Pant to stake his claim as India’s main wicketkeeper in the limited-overs format with MS Dhoni making himself unavailable for the entire tour.

    Pant had some promising knocks in the World Cup at No4 but failed to produce a really big display. His prowess in the shorter formats is undeniable and the southpaw has been excellent for some time now for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL.

    The explosive wicketkeeper batsman is yet to really justify his talent in the limited-overs formats for India and he will need to start adding some consistency to his game, starting with the tour of the West Indies.

    Pant is seen as India's future.

    Pant is seen as India’s future.

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