Arshdeep Singh produced an early breakthrough for India in the first T20I against West Indies at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday. The left-arm pacer removed Kamil Pooran in the fourth over, clean bowling the West Indies batter for 12 off 11 deliveries.

WATCH: Arshdeep Singh Cleans Up Kamil Pooran

The dismissal came on the third ball of the fourth over, with Arshdeep continuing to operate with the new ball for India. He bowled a full delivery outside off, leaving Pooran with little room to work with.

Pooran attempted to deal with the delivery but failed to make contact as the ball went through his defences and crashed into the stumps. The West Indies batter stood disappointed after his brief stay at the crease before walking back to the pavilion.

Spot on 🎯 Arshdeep Singh gives India their first breakthrough. 🔥 Credit :- TNT Sports #ArshdeepSingh #INDvWI #Cricket #CricketTwitter #TeamIndia #INDvsWI https://t.co/k80Hw7wT0I

— 𝑮𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒎 𝑨𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒚𝒂 ! (@OneEightVK) October 6, 2026

Pooran scored 12 runs from 11 balls, hitting two boundaries during his innings. His dismissal gave India an important wicket during the powerplay as the hosts looked to make the most of their decision to bowl first.

Arshdeep's wicket also provided India with an early opportunity to put pressure on the West Indies batting line-up. The visitors had to rebuild after losing Pooran with the innings still in its early stages.

India Look To Make Early Inroads

India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl first, with the possibility of dew later in the evening playing a role in the decision.

"The pitch here is made of a mixture of red and black soil. There is also a possibility of dew coming later," Iyer said at the toss.

India entered the contest with Naman Dheer making his T20 International debut, while Vaibhav Suryavanshi missed out on the playing XI. The hosts also included Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav and Mayank Yadav.

West Indies, meanwhile, started with Shai Hope as captain and wicketkeeper. Kamil Pooran's early dismissal meant the visitors lost one of their batters before they could establish a substantial partnership.

For India, Arshdeep's breakthrough was exactly the kind of start they would have wanted after choosing to field. The pacer will now look to build on the early wicket and help restrict West Indies to a manageable total.

The dismissal also underlined the importance of India's powerplay bowling as the hosts attempt to take control of the opening T20I in Lucknow.