SAN FERNANDO - Captain Rovman Powell top-scored with 48 as the West Indies made 149-6 after winning the toss and batting in the first T20 against India on Thursday at the Brian Lara Stadium.
Powell hit three fours and three sixes in his 32-ball knock after Nicholas Pooran fell for 41, but the West Indies were restricted to only 21 off the final three overs.
Pooran was coming off a match-winning 137 not out in last week's Major League Cricket final in the US for Mumbai Indians-backed MI New York.
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal trapped Kyle Mayers leg-before for one and removed fellow opener Brandon King (28) the same way two balls later.
Johnson Charles added just three before slicing a catch to India debutant Tilak Varma in the deep off left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
Pooran and Powell gave the innings some momentum before both holed out either side of Shimron Hetmyer's dismissal for 10.
Varma, a 20-year-old batter, was handed his India debut while seamer Mukesh Kumar won his first T20 international cap after featuring in the second Test last month and subsequent ODI series.
India won the two-Test series 1-0 before beating the West Indies 2-1 in the ODIs.