The one-off T20 clash between West Indies and India in Jamaica on Sunday should be a better ‘contest’ than the preceding ODI series with the addition of star names like Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine and Samuel Badree to the line-up.

Swashbuckling opening batsman Gayle will wear the West Indies colours in a T20 for the first time since the 2016 World T20 final against England in Kolkata. So it’s going to be a big occasion.

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The hosts were competitive during the ODI series which they lost to India 3-1 but the one-off T20 game should make for a closer battle as it is the format the Windies are most competitive in. They proved it the last time the two sides met – in the Florida T20 last year where the Caribbean side eked out a one-run win while defending 245 in a high-scoring match following their seven-wicket win in the World T20 semi-final.

The presence of Gayle in the line-up will be a massive psychological boost, if not anything else, and the West Indies board was more than happy to welcome the star into the line-up.

“We welcome Chris back to the T20 squad. He is the most prolific batsman in this format and will add value to our team at the top of the order,” Cricket West Indies’ chairman of selectors Courtney Browne was quoted as saying. “He will get the chance to play on his home ground and against a top-quality Indian team.”

For India, it will be an opportunity to build on the success in the ODI series and also field wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. The Delhi gloveman didn’t get a single game in the five-match series and should consider himself extremely unlucky if he misses out on Sunday as well.

If Yuvraj Singh, who picked up a hamstring injury in the ODI series, doesn’t get fit then Ajinkya Rahane should make the cut, especially after a superb run in the ODI series where he collected 336 runs from five innings. In the bowling department, Kuldeep Yadav’s left-arm wrist spin should prove as difficult as ever to negotiate while seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar will look to continue in his miserly way.

Likely teams

West Indies: E Lewis, C Gayle, M Samuels, J Mohammed, R Powell, C Walton (wk), C Brathwaite (c), S Narine, S Bardee, K Williams, J Taylor

India: S Dhawan, V Kohli (c), Y Singh/A Rahane, MS Dhoni (wk), R Pant, K Jadhav, H Pandya, R Ashwin, B Kumar, K Yadav, U Yadav

Where to watch

Live from 19:30 (UAE time) on TEN Cricket.

Prediction

Tough to pick a result. However, since Gayle will be playing in front of a home crowd, expect an entertaining fifty from the Jamaican.