India are set to play their first Test match in 7 months as they take on the West Indies at The Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua. Their last Test match was a successful one, comfortably overwhelming South Africa when the two sides faced each other back in December of 2015 at the Ferozshah Kotla.
Plenty has changed since then however. Most notably, the appointment of Anil Kumble as head coach of the Indian team. Virat Kohli has grown both as a batsman and a leader and this is a great opportunity for the Delhi dasher to lead his side to a win against a relatively inexperienced Windies squad. With the Indian team set to play 15 Test matches over the course of the next 12 months, Indian fans have a treat in store of them.
Read: West Indies announce 12 man squad for first Test; Recall 5 of the most famous Tests between the two nations
There are plenty of questions for the Indian team however. Kohli has explicitly mentioned his preference to play with 6 batsmen and 5 bowlers in Tests, intensifying the competition for places in the batting order. How will the Indian team line up in the first Test? We predicted a playing XI:
1) Murali Vijay
The 32 year old from Chennai has established himself at the top of the order. Such was his form in the longest format of the game, that it might have been no surprise if his name was the first on the team sheet. He suffered an indifferent start to his career, before modifying his game and evolving into the perfect opener in Test cricket. His two best series’ came against the English in England and the Australians in Australia, a simply remarkable feat. In England, especially, with the rest of the batting crumbling, he stayed rock solid. Murali Vijay, locked and loaded at #1.
2) Shikhar Dhawan
There will be few people feeling as much pressure on this series as the 30 year old from Delhi. Staunchly backed by Ravi Shastri during his term as team director, Shikhar Dhawan often failed to perform and flattered to deceive. With Anil Kumble shepherding in a new era in Indian cricket, Dhawan’s career is at a crossroads in the longest format of the game. It does help massively that he scored a half century in the first tour match and has the support of captain Virat Kohli. However, his inconsistency came to the fore as he was dismissed for 9 in the second tour game. All eyes will be on Shikhar Dhawan, though, as much fancied KL Rahul waits in the wings. Shikhar Dhawan, the uncanny one at #2
On red-alert:
KL Rahul
The gods are certainly shining on the stylish 24 year old from Bangalore. He broke through with his performances in his 5 Tests so far, scoring 2 hundreds already. With the tag of a Test match specialist, he entered this year’s IPL and shined in the RCB line-up. This performance earned him a call to the ODI side, where he scored a 100 on debut. Simply remarkable. Has shown that he has the ability and tenacity to perform at the highest level with many experts tipping him to remain the Test opener for a long time to come. Showed astonishing form in both the warm-up games as he was unbeaten throughout. KL Rahul, waiting to pounce #2.
3) Cheteshwar Pujara
Not too many cricketers manage to have as much of an impact that Pujara has had in his fledgling Test career. Numbers speak for themselves, 7 hundreds and 7 fifties, a double-hundred, over 2400 runs in 32 Tests. Stunning. He is yet to make much of a mark in the limited overs formats of the game, but that hasn’t seemed to bother the 28 year old from Rajkot who chose to work on his trade by opting to play county cricket in 2015. Rock solid, his technique makes him the perfect fit at #3. Cheteshwar Pujara, wielding his craft at #3.
4) Virat Kohli
Captain. Leader. Soon to be legend? Virat Kohli has grown from strength to strength in the last few months, performing at a level above all other mere mortals, floating above the surface, scripting his name in the record books. Make no mistake about it however, he will feel the pressure, the pinch of leading a young side in the West Indies. It’s been a while since he has been Test captain and the shadow of MS Dhoni has completely worn off. He generally comes fighting out of a corner, and it shouldn’t be any different this time round. A big series with the bat and as a captain. Virat Kohli, the leader at #4.
5) Ajinkya Rahane
The 28 year old from Maharashtra is the perfect man to have in the middle order, just the man you want when the team is in trouble to step up and put up a fight. He’s had an impressive start to his Test career, scoring a 100 in each of the innings in his last Test. He also had a whale of a time in Australia and enjoyed relative success in England. He will be key with his ability to read the game and adapt his style according to the situation. Ajinkya Rahane, shining under the radar at #5.
6) Wriddhiman Saha
The fourth of July must have been a great day to be Wriddhiman Saha. Not because it was the American Independence day, but because his captain Virat Kohli firmly placed his faith in the 31 year old from West Bengal. “Saha being a specialist is the first choice keeper” the captain said. Saha is another one who will feel the pressure on the tour and will have to perform each time he steps on the pitch. The Indian team might be tempted to hand Rahul the gloves if Saha’s form fails him. Wriddhiman Saha, on slippery water at #6
7) Ravindra Jadeja
Virat Kohli’s insistence on playing a 6-5 combination makes the #7 position one of the most important in the squad. There are plenty of options at ths position, but the 27 year old from Saurashtra should just have the slight edge given his performance in the last few Tests for India and the fact that he could be very useful with the bat. His recent form has seen him shoot up the Test rankings, sitting pretty at #6. He put in a supreme performance in the second tour match, picking up 4 wickets and scoring a half-century. ‘Sir Ravindra Jadeja’ is not often given credit when its due for a number of reasons, but he is a great guy to have in the team. Ravindra Jadeja, the rockstar at #7.
On standby:
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been exceptional lately, his stock in the limited overs format of the game rising exponentially. He might get a look in for the very first Test if Kohli decides to go with 3 seamers instead of 3 seamers.
8) Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin has come in for a little bit of criticism lately. The 29 year from Chennai has been labelled as a ‘dustbowl bully’, absolutely dominant on sub-continent pitches but failing miserably in foreign conditions that do not assist him as much. The signs were promising in the second tour game as Ashwin picked up 3 wickets in each innings. Sourav Ganguly was recently quoted as saying that Ashwin will be key for India’s chances in the Caribbean and it would be hard to argue with him considering the fact that the off spinner has won 5 Man of the Series trophies in his Test career. To put that in perspective, Virat Kohli has none. Ravichandran Ashwin, the wily one at #8.
9) Amit Mishra
Amit Mishra can thank the stars that Anil Kumble was appointed as the head coach. Not only does the 33 year old from Delhi benefit by having the chance to learn from one of the best leg spinners to have ever played the game, it has exponentially increased his chances of cementing his place in the squad. Having worked his way into the squad in 2015 with a few good performances against Sri Lanka and South Africa, the West Indies tour represents a great opportunity for the leggie. He shone in the first warm-up game, picking up four wickets. Amit Mishra, the spin wizard at #9.
10) Ishant Sharma
The lanky 27 year old from Delhi has had a troubled career, to put it lightly. Quite often he faces the ire of Indian fans but as India head down the West Indies, he finds himself at an interesting stage in his career, where he will be expected to lead the bowling attack. Having played 68 Tests and taken over 200 tickets, he will have to bring the experience and will be expected to bowl long spells where he might have limited success, but will have to remain aggressive throughout. Ishant Sharma, the spearhead at #10
11) Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami will be raring to go after having completely recovered from the injury he suffered in the 2015 World Cup. He comes to the series in good spirits, after the BCCI compensated him for missing the 2015 IPL with a sweet 2 crore package. When fully fit, Shami can be a live wire, constantly proving to be a thorn to the opposition batting. The 25 year old from UP has had a very successful Test career so far, claiming 47 wickets in 12 matches and will be hoping the West Indies series is a launchpad to more great things. Mohammed Shami, the workhorse at #11.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
