India vs West Indies: Team India's predicted playing XI for the fourth Test

After having clinched the 4-match Test series, the Indian team will go into fourth and final Test brimming with confidence and will look to seal the series with another win.

The Indian team management has adopted for horses for courses policy while selecting teams, and thus the pitch and the playing conditions at the Queens park Oval will be a major dictating factor in the selection process.

As such, the winning combination should not be tinkered much, but Kohli and Kumble don't mind fiddling along with the resources to find the best possible combination for the match.

It may also happen, that the team management gives an opportunity to the players who have been on the bench.

We speculate on the Indian playing XI, for the final Test match.

The openers:

Shikhar Dhawan has been quite decent in the series so far, but has not kicked on to score big and thus has not churned out one innings of substance. Thus, his position appears to be shaky, and with Murali Vijay fit, he might slot into the side in place of Dhawan.

On the other hand, KL Rahul has been quite solid and his position looks solid at the moment. Thus it will be a shootout between Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan for the opening slot.

Middle order:

Virat Kohli walked in at number 3 in the previous match, but this move did not yield results. Will the Indian skipper continue this ploy, or will he shift down to his preferred number 4 position?

However, Kohli has maintained that he wants to play Rohit Sharma at number 5, and thus Pujara will have to miss out, which makes Kohli at number 3 a viable option.

Ajinkya Rahane has become the most versatile batsman in the Indian line-up, and thus he can ideally play at any position, and the results will follow. However, his innings at number 4 in the previous Test match will prompt the Team management to continue with the same ploy.

Rohit Sharma has a certain admirer in Virat Kohli, and the Indian captain is keen to give him a good run at number 5 with the hope that Rohit plays according to his potential and grabs the match by the horns. Thus, the Mumbaikar will bat at number 5 by all means.

Lower middle order:

The form of Ravichandran Ashwin with the bat has been one of the biggest positives for India in this series and he is certain to bat at number 6, and will provide the luxury of playing 5 genuine bowlers to Virat Kohli.

Wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha has been performing quietly with the bat and with the gloves, and his century in the previous match was an indication of his worth with the willow.

Hence, these two positions seem to be nailed down as far as the combinations are concerned.

Ravindra Jadeja was accurate with the ball and was lively in the field, and it will be toss up between him and leg-spinner Amit Mishra for the second spinner.

The Bowlers:

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was roped in the previous match and displayed his ability with the ball by hooping it all over the place. His pace, seam and swing was too much to handle for the hosts, and he should take the new ball in the final Test too.

Mohammed Shami has been the most penetrative bowler for India in the tour so far, and according to Kohli, he is an ideal Test bowler as he hits the good length perfectly and does enough with the ball to trouble the batsmen. He should share the new ball with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and this combination will be a major threat to the West Indian batting order.

The third seamer's spot will more or less be taken up by Ishant Sharma, who has been fairly decent in the series. However, if the team management decides to go for uncapped players, Shardul Thakur can just get his Test cap.