India’s bowling coach, Morne Morkel, said that captain Gautam Gambhir is likely to make changes to the starting XI for the first T20I.
Morne Morkel talked about how the team is managing its players before the next World Cup at the pre-match news conference on Monday, October 5, 2026.
The first T20I of a five-match series between India and West Indies will take place in Lucknow on October 6, 2026. After beating West Indies 2-1 in the three-match ODI series, India will play five T20Is and three ODIs on this trip. The team decision comes soon after India’s run at the Asian Games, where Shreyas Iyer’s team won the gold medal in men’s cricket by beating Pakistan by 19 runs in the final on October 3, 2026.
Morne Morkel stressed how important it was for young players like Sooryavanshi to get experience and learn from their teammates.
India is focused on getting a lot of different players ready for the World Cup, which is reflected in their rotation plan. Twelve of the 14 players who were on the Asian Games team have been kept on for the West Indies T20Is, showing some stability while also showing some changes. The addition of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to the team gives the young player a chance to improve in an international setting.
The growth of Sooryavanshi in the squad setting
The India bowling coach talked about how time spent in international settings, even if a young player doesn’t get to play in every game, is very important for their growth and understanding of how games work.
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India wants to find a balance between short-term performance and long-term squad growth through the rotation strategy. With the World Cup as their main goal, the team’s leaders are using the West Indies series to try out different lineups and get players used to playing in a competitive setting.
