For the virtual quarter-final of the 2026 T20 World Cup, against India, the West Indies dropped Brandon King and used Roston Chase as the opening batter.
West Indies drop Brandon King, open batting with Roston Chase
India and the West Indies are facing off for the last match of the Super Eights of the 2026 T20 World Cup. The winner of the match will face England in the semi-final, while the other team will be eliminated.
For the game, India went in unchanged from their XI, while the West Indies replaced opening batter King with left-arm finger-spinner Akeal Hosein. While there has been no official reason, King has been having a torrid time in this World Cup, with 92 runs at a strike rate of 116 in six games.
Additionally, teams often replace a batter with a bowler on flat surfaces, where the extra batter can become redundant (the West Indies bat until No.8 even without King) and the additional specialist bowler may come in handy.
At the toss, Indian captain confirmed that “surface looks good, it’s a chasing ground, wicket will get better,” which validates the West Indies’ call. However, Surya also spoke about the “dew factor”, which makes the call look questionable.
It is worth a mention that King had left the ground with an injury while trying to take a catch in the West Indies’ previous game, against South Africa. However, there has been no official update on King’s injury status.
Super 8 - Match 12, India vs West Indies
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Has Roston Chase opened in T20Is before?
When Chase walked to open with captain Shai Hope, it was the first time the West Indies used him in that role in any format in international cricket.
In all T20 cricket, Chase has opened batting only once, in a 2024 Global Super League match for the Guyana Super Warriors against Victoria at Providence in the 2024 edition of the Global Super League. He made a run-a-ball 10 before Jackson Smith bowled him.
At the time of writing, the West Indies were 56-0 in seven overs with Hope (26 in 26 balls) and Chase (30 in 16) at the crease.
