Preview: Quest for Test Glory - India vs West Indies Battle Begins

image-ljxwcxsnRahul Dravid Talking with Yashaswi Jaiswal ahead of the 1st Test (Source: Twitter)

Team India are touring the West Indies for two tests, three ODIs and five T20Is. The test series is all set to begin from July 12. Few days back, BCCI announced the test squad consisting of some of the new faces while the others are the familiar ones. Cheteshwar Pujara had to confront the brunt of the World Test Championship failure and he was not named in the squad for this series.

Shining stars and young blood, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal got the chance ahead of him and one of them is almost confirmed to replace him in the playing eleven for the first test vs West Indies. Veteran pacer Mohammed Shami is rested for the series to manage his workload, while bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar received his maiden test call-up as well and Navdeep Saini makes a comeback after a long break, since India’s historic glory at the Gabba in 2021.



Resurgent hero Ajinkya Rahane is rewarded for his lone show amongst other Indian batters in the WTC final, and again he has been presented with the vice-captain duties. Rahane scored 89 and 46 in his comeback test against Australia in the WTC final and he will be keen to continue his superb form in this series as well.

Turning the Game: Off-Spin's Delightful Impact

image-ljx65awnTop bowlers at the venue since last 5 years

Over the years, the pitches at the Windsor park in Roseau have been like a typical test, assisting pacers on the first day (Medium pacers having an economy rate of around 2.5 per over with an average of closer to 35 runs) and getting easier to bat on day 2 and 3. And as the game progresses, pitch starts to deteriorate and become more friendly for off-break bowlers.(Off-breaks averaging below 20 runs per wicket with an astonishing economy rate of around 2.6 runs per over)

The fast bowlers also had a good record in the past five years at this venue, averaging just over 25 runs per wicket and an economy rate of 3 runs per over, whereas the leg-breaks bowled with an average between 30-35 and orthodox ones have taken wickets but bowled with a high economy rate of over 4.5 runs per over, which is very expensive in tests.

Looking at the pitch from the last 5 years, Indian spinners will enjoy bowling on this track, India have quality spinners in the form of experienced ones Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, adding to that, Axar Patel can also be effective with his controlled line and length.

The weather forecast from Wednesday (July 12) to Sunday (July 16) indicates warm partly sunny days on days 2, 3 and 4, but there is a chance of rain on day 1 and 5. The maximum temperature is set to fluctuate from 30 to 32 degree C.



Conclusion

After a gloomy ICC World Test Championship Final, India will be facing a West Indian challenge at their home soil with few of the players playing for the first time. On the other hand, West Indian team are also coming after encountering a heartbreak, as they failed to qualify for the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup, happening later in India this year. As a consequence, both the team will be hungry for the win and will try to give their ultimate best for this test series.