The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium will open its arms for a few homegrown stars in an Indian team looking to cement its lead in the five-match T20I series against the West Indies.

Local lad Tilak Varma is aware of Uppal’s flat surfaces that have seen gargantuan T20 scores.

“We were discussing that the wickets here have been changed. But in T20s, you can’t go from the first ball. We’ve played everywhere. Each player has played more than 50 games in the format. You take one or two balls and get to know how the wicket is behaving, what shots to play and more,” Tilak said on Tuesday (October 13, 2026), the eve of the fourth T20I.

Happiest in the No. 3 spot, Tilak said he was happy to be malleable to the team’s demands.

“Right now my role is to handle the middle phase. If quick wickets go, I can take my time and take the game deep. If the top three bat till the 14th or 15th over, I know how to change gears and go from the first ball. I’ve been practising for both.”

The 23-year-old blitzed away to an unbeaten 44 off just 18 balls in Ranchi before a 16-ball 28 in Indore.

Tilak was in good spirits ahead of a fixture that could potentially decide the series and was happy that so many members in the setup are familiar with conditions in Hyderabad.

“Yes, we’ll have a slight edge. Ishan [Kishan], Nitish [Kumar], Abhishek and myself have played here many times. More than me, the others have played here more because every year they play half of their IPL games here. So they know how the wicket behaves, how the outfield is and more”.

A 10-match winning streak is no mean feat. In the fickle realm of T20Is, it carries even greater weight.

Also read | IND vs WI first T20I: Shreyas makes it a cakewalk for India

The Men in Blue last suffered a loss in the shortest format a long time ago (July 11, 2026 vs England in Southampton). Admittedly, their subsequent 10-game unbeaten run came largely against modest opposition — three games each against Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, one against Japan, one each versus second-string Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the Asian Games, followed by the series opener against the West Indies.

To stretch that winning streak to 11 in completed T20Is, India must overcome the Windies at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi on Friday (October 9, 2026).

Though the Lucknow fixture proved to be a walk in the park, Shreyas Iyer & Co. cannot take things lightly.

The visitors bat deep, and India got a firsthand glimpse of their power-hitting prowess on Tuesday (October 6). Rallying to post 171 after being 135 for eight was to the Men in Maroon’s immense credit. The downside, however, is a monotonous bowling attack, with all-rounders like Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde and Shamar Springer posing little threat with their right-arm medium pace.

The bowling figures from the first T20I tell a simple story: while Akeal Hosein was the lone West Indian to go at under 10 an over, Mayank Yadav was the only Indian to touch a double-digit economy rate.

The West Indies must find a way to strike a better balance to reverse this statistic.

India, on the other hand, had everything go its way.

Right from winning the toss and introducing spin in the fourth over to smashing a century, skipper Shreyas hardly put a foot wrong in Lucknow. Shreyas’ acceleration towards the three-figure mark, with India needing just 65 when he reached his half-century, proved why he is so highly rated in the format.

The think-tank will also be pleased with the spinners’ performance, with Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Naman Dhir accounting for seven West Indies batters.

The curiosity surrounding Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s inclusion in the playing XI has been a regular fixture of late, and the eve of the second T20I was no different.

“The team has not been decided yet, so I don’t know. The chances are there for everyone in the 15,” Sitanshu Kotak said.

The batting coach’s non-committal comment notwithstanding, Sanju Samson is expected to keep his spot.

It sure helps Samson’s case that India has been consistently winning. Whether the Men in Blue can extend their purple patch remains to be seen.

Match starts at 7 p.m.

India skipper Shubhman Gill opted to bowl against the West Indies in the series-opening ODI here on Sunday.

India have handed debut to spin all-rounder Naman Dhir as star players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma also return to action.

Teams:

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (wk), Naman Dhir, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Gurnoor Brar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Prasidh Krishna.

West Indies: John Campbell, Justin Greaves, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope (wk, c), Amir Jangoo, Jewel Andrew, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, and Jayden Seales.