HOTSHOTS INDIAN SERIES SERIES

Senior pacer Kemar Roach will still lead the attack though, while the decision on whether or not to go with two specialist spinners in Jomel Warrican and the recalled Rahkeem Cornwall or opt for the raw pace but questionable fitness of Shannon Gabriel will be determined by the appearance of the pitch on Wednesday morning. While Mayers has been ruled out of contention due to niggling injuries, two other players who were part of the West Indies' abysmal World Cup qualifying campaign in Zimbabwe - all-rounder Jason Holder and fast bowler Alzarri Joseph -– are expected to shoulder much of the responsibility to quell the threat of a formidable India batting line-up.

HOTSHOTS INDIAN SERIES SERIES

I'm enjoying my cricket a lot.'Īs disconsolate as they may be by the West Indies' failure to advance to the World Cup, fans in Dominica are anticipating that one of their own, 24-year-old Alick Athanaze, will make his Test debut in the series opener in the middle-order in place of fellow left-hander Kyle Mayers. There were a few points in my batting that I've worked on. 'In the last year or so, I've worked a lot on my fitness. 'I'm still young and there's a lot of cricket left in me,' the 35-year-old told India will also look for runs from recalled Ajinkya Rahane, the vice-captain who made 89 and 46 in the loss to Australia after a two-year absence. In 11 Tests against these opponents he has taken 60 wickets and compiled four of his five Test centuries in averaging just over 50 with the bat. Spinning all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, unlucky to have been omitted from last month's duel with Australia, should have the chance to add to his already impressive record against the West Indies.

With veteran batsman Cheteshwar Pujara dropped and pacer Mohammed Shami rested, there are now opportunities for either of the uncapped Yashasvi Jaiswal or Ruturaj Gaikwad to make the number three spot their own while it will be a toss-up between Jaydev Unadkat and Navdeep Saini to fill the breach in the fast bowling department. This brief series, which ends in Trinidad the following week in what will be the 100th Test between the two teams, marks the start of the next two-year World Test Championship cycle leading to the final in 2025.īeaten by New Zealand in the inaugural final in 2021 and then outplayed by Australia in the 2023 decider just four weeks ago, Rohit Sharma's team is likely to show no more than three changes from the side that lost the new Test cricket showpiece by 209 runs at The Oval. The West Indies last won a Test match against India back in 2002. Rocked by the failure of the two-time winners to qualify for the World Cup in India in October-November this year, the Caribbean cricket community is unlikely to find solace in the shape of Kraigg Brathwaite's Test side.

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