India won the toss and opted to bowl in the first T20 of the three-match series against West Indies on Sunday at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Left-arm spin all-rounder Krunal Pandya made his long anticipated international debut. in the first T20I. Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed, who has been a regular in the ODI squad since September, also made his T20 debut.
Meanwhile, the hosts made two high-profile changes to their line-up with MS Dhoni and captain Virat Kohli making way for Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant.
Also Umesh Yadav is in for Bhuvneshwar Kumar who is out due to illness, while a changed middle-order from the ODI series includes Lokesh Rahul at No. 3 and Manish Pandey at No. 5.
Krunal, elder brother of star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, was part of the squad for the three T20I series in England this summer but didn't get a game.
Krunal had some consistent performances for Mumbai Indians, Baroda and India A during the past three years and his left-arm spin is expected to add variety to India’s two-pronged wrist spin attack.
Meanwhile, after a successful ODI series against the Windies, Khaleel will look to carry on the momentum in the T20I series.
West Indies also feature a change in leadership with Carlos Brathwaite taking over from Jason Holder. He is also leading a side that includes three debutants.
Pacer Oshane Thomas, left-arm spinner Fabian Allen and all-rounder Khary Pierre all take their internationals bows.
India won the test series against West Indies 2-0 and the five-match ODI series by a 3-1 margin.
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