India will take on West Indies in the first test of the four-match series at the Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Thursday. It will be former Indian spin-wizard Anil Kumble’s first series as the India team coach and he will look to get into winning ways overseas after six consecutive series losses outside Asia since India’s 1-0 series win in West Indies in 2011.
Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble should strike a perfect partnership as captain and coach, with both expected to adopt an aggressive approach in the series. Virat Kohli led India to two fantastic test wins against Sri Lanka and South Africa and will not be afraid to go all guns blazing against a West Indies side who have been struggling to find a Test cricket identity for quite some time now.
Match Details
Venue: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua
Time: 7:30 pm IST
Also Read: Analysing the venues for India-West Indies Tests: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua
Team News
India
India team Captain Virat Kohli admitted that he would like to play five bowlers instead of four for the upcoming test. That means there will be added responsibility on the batsmen to deliver for the Men in Blue. Kohli also said that though KL Rahul has improved by leaps and bounds over the past months, he might have to wait for his chance to play.
Rohit Sharma is also expected to sit out the first test match, with left-handed Shikhar Dhawan getting the nod for the opening slot with Murali Vijay
In the bowling department, Kohli seems to have been impressed by Mohammed Shami who has performed well in spite of coming back from injury. Ishant Sharma is expected to lead the pace attack along with him, while Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will spearhead the spin department.
The choice of the fifth bowler will depend on the pitch Antigua offers. Amit Mishra is expected to play if it is a turning wicket with him performing well in the two practice games, otherwise, Umesh Yadav or Stuart Binny will start.
West Indies
West Indies will expect Kraigg Brathwaite to score the majority of the runs for his team. After the exclusion of Denesh Ramdin from the squad by the selectors, Jason Holder will have a new wicketkeeper in Shane Dowrich in his ranks.
Rajendra Chandrika should open the batting with Braithwaite, while the recalled Devendra Bishoo is expected to lead the spin attack for West Indies. Miguel Cummins is expected to get his first test cap in the match against India while West Indies will be heavily depending on experienced Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo to drive them home.
Probable Playing-XI
India: Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha(wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami.
West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite, Rajendra Chandrika, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Leon Johnson, Carlos Brathwaite, Shane Dowrich (wk), Jason Holder (C), Shannon Gabriel, Devendra Bishoo, Miguel Cummins.
Recent Form (Latest match first):
India: W-W-D-W-W
West Indies: D-L-L-L-L
Live Stream Information:
The matched can be viewed live on TV on Ten Cricket.
West Indies vs India will be streamed live on Tensports.com
Key Stats:
-West Indies have not registered a single 50-run opening partnership in 21 test matches since 2015
-India is unbeaten in 15 consecutive tests against West Indies since 2002. India has won 8 and drawn 7 in that time.
Match Prediction
We predict an India win in the first test match against West Indies.
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