India will begin their World Test Championship cycle on Wednesday when they face the West Indies in the first Test of the two-match series at Windsor Park in Dominica. The Indian team is about to hit the transition button with the highly anticipated debut of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the two-Test series against an injured West Indies, who are looking for a path to redemption. Cheteshwar Pujara’s much-publicized exit has carved out a place in India’s top flight and the immensely talented left-hander Mumbai will hope he lives up to his ‘name’ and promises to have played at a first-class level before being thrown at the deep end of the swimming pool.
Here’s what we think India’s Playing XI against West Indies could be for the 1st test:
Rohit Sharma:The Indian skipper will try to give his team a brilliant start as he is aiming for a big score. In the recent appearance against Australia in the WTC final, Rohit went just 15 in the first innings, but scored 43 in the second. The batting powerhouse is definitely capable of much more than that.
Yashasvi Jaiswal:The 21-year-old power hitter is having the time of his life as a successful season of IPL made his way to the national team. The youngster is almost confirmed to open the bat with Rohit Sharma and it will be a brilliant opportunity for him to make a sparkling first impression.
Shubman Gill: The young talented opener needs no introduction because he has attracted a lot of attention in recent months. However, he failed to make a mark against Australia in the WTC final and was only able to score 31 points in the entire match. Gill will try to bounce back against Windies in the first test and at number 3 he will try to add another dimension to his game.
Virat Kohli:Fighting through his skinny patch, Virat Kohli roared back to form in 2022 and hasn’t looked back since. He scored 14 and 49 runs against Australia in the WTC final and will be looking for a bigger innings against the West Indies in the first Test.
Ajinkya Rahane:Rahane made a comeback in the national team against Australia at the WTC final and showed his hitting ability. He scored 89 and 46 to emerge as India’s highest runs scorer of the match. As icing on the cake, he has been named India’s vice-captain for the Tests against the West Indies.
Ishan Kishan:After KS Bharat failed to make a mark on the few chances given to him, the selectors could choose young Ishan Kishan as their wicketkeeper option. The young star has yet to make his Tests debut but can bring plenty of power to the batting unit with his aggressive style.
Ravindra Jadeja:The all-round star became India’s hero in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia with a total of 22 wickets. He later took four wickets in the WTC final. He is sure to find a place in the Playing XI in the first Test due to his all-round skills.
Ravichandran Ashwin:The veteran player won the Player of the Series award in the BGT 2023 alongside Jadeja and emerged as the highest wicket-taker of the series. However, he was not named in the Playing XI for the WTC final, which India eventually lost. With conditions favoring spin in Dominica, the selectors could definitely choose Ashwin.
Shardul Thakur:Although Shardul played his last test against England in July 2022, Team India could still go with him, strengthening their pace as well as their batting attack.
Mohammed Siraj:The senior pacer roared back to form in the WTC final as he scalped five wickets. In the absence of Mohammed Shami, full bowling responsibility will fall on Siraj.
Jaydev Unadkat:The experienced pacer will provide Siraj with good support as Shami is not here.
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