West Indies are all set for the tough tour of India after getting whitewashed by Australia at home. India are coming into this on the back of a strong performance in England, and now Shubman Gill would be hoping that his team dominates in his first home series as Test captain.
However, the last time India played at home, they were beaten by New Zealand. Thus, the West Indies would be looking to take some inspiration from that series and push India as much as possible in this two-match series. Therefore, in this article, we will look at the three West Indies players who can be a threat to India in the Test series.
Roston Chase
The West Indian captain, Roston Chase, will be the biggest threat to India in the upcoming Test series. He is an experienced cricketer who has done well for India, and with conditions expected to assist spinners, his off-breaks can be effective. He is likely to bowl a lot of overs and thus has a good chance to pick wickets.
Roston Chase Test record in India
Criterion
Data
Matches
3
Runs
187
Average
37.40
100s/50s
1/1
Wickets
4
Also, he is an accomplished batter and a good player of spin. On the last tour of India, Roston Chase scored a century and a fifty, and thus, he would be one batter who can fight against Indian spinners. Thus, the West Indies captain, with his all-round skills, can be a threat to India.
Jomel Warrican, the left-arm spinner of the West Indies and the vice-captain of the side, would be another key player for the visitors. He would be their main spinner and would have to do the bulk of bowling on turning tracks that are expected to be dished out in the series.
In the past, whenever the visiting teams have done well in India, the left-arm orthodox spinners have dominated, and Warrican could also pose problems for Indian batters. In the 2024 series between India and New Zealand, where the Kiwis won, Ajaz Patel and Mitchell Santner were the leading wicket-takers for the visitors, and so India need to be careful against Warrican.
Jomel Warrican in Test cricket
Criterion
Data
Matches
21
Wickets
73
Average
28.26
Strike-rate
55.8
5w/10w
2/1
Also, Warrican is an experienced cricketer with over 400 first-class wickets and has an impressive international record with 73 wickets in just 21 matches. Thus, he could pose a serious threat to India if he gets it right.
Shai Hope
Shai Hope is one of the leading ODI batters in the world, but has failed to live upto the expectations in the longest format. However, he is now back in Test cricket after a long time, and recently, against Australia, he displayed resistance in tough batting conditions.
Shai Hope in Test cricket
Criterion
Data
Matches
41
Runs
1839
Average
24.52
100s/50s
2/5
He has not done anything great in Test cricket against India, but has the experience of scoring runs in ODI cricket in the country. He has an average of 74.10 in India in the 50-over format and has three hundreds to his name. Also, he has the technique to tackle the spin threat, and so if he can translate his ODI form into Test cricket, he could create problems for India in the upcoming Test series.
West Indies players in Test cricket (Source: AFP).jpg)
