Find out all you need to know about the clash between the sides in Hyderabad
India host West Indies in the second of three T20Is as both teams continue their preparations ahead of next year's T20 World Cup. At the conclusion of the T20I series, the two sides will then meet in a trio of 50-over clashes in the build-up to Christmas.
The two countries met in the Caribbean at the end of summer, with India winning five out of six white-ball matches – the sixth was washed out.
FIRST T20I: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad – India won by 6 wickets
SECOND T20I: Greenfield Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram (Sunday, December 8, 7pm local time, 1.30pm GMT)
THIRD T20I: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (Wednesday, December 11, 7pm local time, 1.30pm GMT)
India will head to the city of Thiruvananthapuram searching for their eighth consecutive victory over the reigning T20 World Cup holders, and hosts are undefeated in their two outings at the Greenfield Stadium so far.
However, the West Indies' strong batting display in the Hyderabad series opener will be a strong reminder of the threat the visitors can provide on their day.
Their total of 207 for 5 was only the tenth time India's men have conceded 200 runs in a T20 international, and opening bowlers Washington Sundar and Deepak Chahar were both dispatched for over 10 runs an over.
Nevertheless, the expert hand of Virat Kohli eventually saw the hosts home with eight balls to spare. The captain registered an unbeaten 94 from 50 balls – his highest score in the format – and came out on top in the latest round of his rivalry with Kesrick Williams and his notebook.
Quite simply, India rarely find a way to lose these days, especially on home soil.
There is still no place for MS Dhoni – the latest signal that the great wicketkeeper's time in the international arena may finally be up – while both Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah are still missing as they recover from back injuries. Shikhar Dhawan also sits out with a knee injury.
Otherwise, however, the home side are close to full strength, Sanju Samson was the beneficiary of Dhawan's misfortune, having initially been left out of the squad.
Should Kohli's side want to rotate the squad to freshen up their offering, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammad Shami could be in line to play, with the latter a potential replacement for Chahar after the seamer went for 56 runs in his first international outing since claiming world record figures of 6-7 against Bangladesh last month.
India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar
West Indies: Kieron Pollard (c), Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Keemo Paul, Khary Pierre, Nicholas Pooran, Denesh Ramdin, Sherfane Rutherford, Lendl Simmons, Hayden Walsh Jr, Kesrick Williams
After a strong showing in the opening game, odds have tilted slightly in the visitors' favour. Dafabet has them at 11/4, with India remaining 1/4 favourites to take the second game.
The visitors opened their tour of India with a 2-1 T20 series loss against Afghanistan, but more recent results will have provided Phil Simmons' side with a little bit more encouragement.
A maiden century from Shamarh Brooks led the West Indies to a comfortable nine wicket victory in the one-off Test match with Afghanistan, while their white-ball tour against India started off with Shimron Hetmyer claiming a first fifty in international T20 cricket to lead the side to a formidable 207 for 5.
However, their inability to defend the score may offer cause for concern, with seamer Kesrick Williams dispatched for 60 runs in 3.4 overs and wickets not forthcoming once Khary Pierre claimed the key powerplay scalp of Rohit Sharma.
Explosive wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran could be in line for a return to the side after serving a four-match suspension for ball-tampering, though Shai Hope and Alzarri Joseph remain absent.
Instead, Simmons may call upon spin-bowling allrounder Fabian Allen in place of Hayden Walsh Jr, who bowled just two overs in the Hyderabad fixture, and Keemo Paul travels with the side as a spare seamer.
Chris Gayle is another notable absentee; he has opted to take a break from cricket for the remainder of 2019, having left his Mzansi Super League stint with Jozi Stars midway through their campaign. He told reporters that he had turned down a spot in West Indies’ ODI squad for the second half of their India tour as he considers his future.
"This will be another chance for them to play and develop," Simmons said. "The next T20 World Cup is in Australia and the one after that is here in India so there is a lot of preparation to be done, first for Australia.
"We have given the players here a chance in this series and we know we have players outside who may be coming in later on as well, so it's good to give those here another opportunity."
More good weather is forecast as the series moves on to the state of Kerala, with temperatures starting out around the 27 degree mark and set to cool as the evening goes on, with minimal chance of rain.
Star Sports will broadcast the games in India.
This preview is brought to you in association with Dafabet India. For more on Dafabet and to place a bet, click here.
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