India seek a 2-0 lead in Ranchi as West Indies weigh changes for the second T20I

India carry a 1-0 lead into Ranchi, where a surface expected to help the spinners and an unsettled West Indies top order shape the second T20 international

India and West Indies meet in the second of five T20 internationals at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Friday, with the toss at 6.30pm IST and the first ball due half an hour later.

India lead the series 1-0 after an eight-wicket win in Lucknow, where West Indies were bowled out for 171 in 19.1 overs and India answered with 172 for 2 in 14.4.

Shreyas Iyer made 102 not out from 43 balls in that chase, his first century in T20 internationals, and Naman Dhir marked his debut with 3-31.

A chase that ended with 32 balls to spare

The opener was as close to one-sided as a T20 international gets, and the bowlers settled it before the batting began. Dhir's three wickets were supported by Axar Patel's 2-26 and Kuldeep Yadav's 2-33, and West Indies were dismissed with five balls of their innings still unused.

The reply lasted barely more than two-thirds of the allotted overs. Iyer and Ishan Kishan put on 137 from 68 balls for the second wicket, Kishan making 37, and India completed the chase with 32 deliveries to spare.

It was the second heavy defeat West Indies have absorbed on this tour, having also lost the first two one-day internationals by eight wickets apiece.

What the Ranchi surface is expected to offer

Previews of the match expect the JSCA pitch to favour spin and controlled strokeplay rather than the ball-striking that decided Lucknow. That would argue for India keeping both Axar and Kuldeep, and for the side batting second having to work harder than Iyer did.

The match card lists patchy rain nearby and a temperature of around 27C, so an interruption cannot be ruled out.

India's selection questions

India are unlikely to change much after winning by that margin, and the questions that remain are narrow ones. The top order carries the first: Sanju Samson has had a lean run of scores, and previews have revived the case for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to return to the opening slot alongside Abhishek Sharma.

The second is in the pace attack. Mayank Yadav bowled quickly in Lucknow but was expensive, and Prince Yadav, recently back from injury, is the alternative if India choose to rotate.

Tilak Varma did not bat in the opener, India's chase having finished before the middle order was required, so this is the first real look at where he sits in the order.

The squad trained at the ground on Friday, with the BCCI posting images of players working through match-day routines under the lights.

West Indies need runs beyond their top two

Shai Hope made 52 and Sherfane Rutherford 56 in Lucknow, and no other batter passed fifty. Three wickets inside the powerplay left the innings being repaired rather than built.

The visitors have already shown on this tour that they can handle a large total. In the third one-day international they overhauled India's 351 for 7 with 352 for 5 in 48.2 overs to win by five wickets, the only match India lost across a one-day leg they took 2-1.

Amir Jangoo, who batted well in that one-day series, and the left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie have both been raised as possible inclusions on a pitch expected to turn.

Three matches still to come after this one

The series moves to the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on 11 October, then to the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on 14 October and the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium on 17 October.

That schedule leaves West Indies time to recover, but it narrows with every result, and a second defeat would put the series beyond reach of anything short of a clean sweep.

A win on Friday would put India 2-0 up with three to play, and leave West Indies needing all three to take the series.

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