India without Jasprit Bumrah start five-match T20I series against West Indies in Lucknow on October 6

India, without Jasprit Bumrah, begin their five-match T20I series against West Indies in Lucknow on Tuesday, October 6. Bumrah, who played a key role in India’s Asian Games campaign, is not part of the squad for the series opener.

The series follows India’s successful defence of the Asian Games T20 title, when they beat Pakistan in the final, and arrives after an ODI tour in which India had already wrapped up the series before West Indies produced a stunning final-match comeback in New Chandigarh. Broadcasters in India will show the T20Is on the Star Sports network and the JioHotstar app and website. The two teams treat the T20 leg as a fresh start after the contrasting ODI finishes.

Bumrah’s absence increases responsibility on a relatively inexperienced Indian pace group. Arshdeep Singh is the senior seamer in the squad, while Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav offer raw pace and potential, and Nitish Kumar Reddy provides another seam option. Mayank’s selection is notable because he has returned from repeated injury setbacks, and Prince’s rise from net bowler to an India place is highlighted in the squad composition.

India bowling coach Morne Morkel addressed those selections in the pre-series press conference, saying: “Yes, it will be great for Indian cricket if we keep on growing that pool, keep on giving guys that experience, the taste of what it is to play in an Indian shirt. And also a nice opportunity for guys who were out of the loop for a while to come back. Mayank Yadav, he's back from injury. So, yeah, I look forward to seeing how he goes when he gets an opportunity.” On Mayank and Prince, Morkel added: “Yeah, I mean, if you look at Mayank, immediately that comes to mind is his pace as X-factor. I think for me, Prince, where he was a net bowler a couple of years ago, he's now playing for India. That resilience, you know, the hard work that he's put into his game to reach the international stage is admirable.” “So for me, that shows that these guys are hardworking players. You know, Mayank had a couple of setbacks with injury, back-to-back setbacks with that. For a young player to get through that and then again, you know, find themselves in a situation to play for India just shows attitude.”

India’s batting arrives in Lucknow on the back of the Asian Games campaign, with Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma singled out as standout performers in that tournament. Abhishek provided aggressive starts at the top, Tilak combined middle-order stability and power, and Ishan Kishan contributed notably, including in the semi-final against Sri Lanka. Sanju Samson has struggled at the Asian Games and will be seeking form amid intense competition for places that also includes Shivam Dube and other all-round options; 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is another name to watch for potential opportunity.

West Indies carry confidence from Shai Hope’s unbeaten 162 in the final ODI, which inspired what the visitors recorded as their highest successful ODI chase, and the touring side have added Amir Jangoo as cover for Jewel Andrew after Andrew sustained a finger injury during the third ODI. Jangoo had an outstanding ODI series against India, and West Indies selections include power hitters Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford, all-rounder Romario Shepherd, new T20I call-up Kamil Pooran, spinners Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie, and pacer Shamar Joseph.

The Lucknow surface has produced an average first-innings score of 141 in six T20 matches, with teams batting first winning five times, and conditions for Tuesday are expected to be clear with no chance of rain and temperatures around 28 degrees Celsius, producing a full match on the cards. Matches - 31 | India - 20 | West Indies - 10 | N/R - 1 Matches - 11 | India - 2 | West Indies - 2 | N/R - 0 India: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav West Indies: Shai Hope (capt, wk), Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph, Matthew Forde

The opening T20I offers India a test of whether their younger seamers can handle the absence of Bumrah and whether the batting momentum from the Asian Games can be sustained; the result will help determine the tone of a series that India can use to strengthen their bench and build towards the next phase of their T20I plans.