India are all set to kick off their home season with the two-Test series against West Indies. The first of the two Test matches will be at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with India having sights on home glory.
The nature of the pitch is expected to favor the spinners as it does in India. But the men in Blue have just had a home series loss to New Zealand, and with a change in their arsenal now at that, they would want to start anew. So, let us look ahead to see what kind of combination India may go for in the opening Test against West Indies.
Yashasvi Jaiswal – KL Rahul to open the innings
The duo Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul had been brilliant as openers in England, scoring twin centuries each that laid a foundation for Indian success. Yashasvi Jaiswal is the most successful Indian batter in Test cricket since making his debut and has repeatedly proved his worth in both Indian and overseas conditions. On the other hand, KL Rahul has been extremely mature since reclaiming the openers’ role back home in Australia. The two have shared century-plus stands in the tough conditions of England and Australia.
They complement each other so well that they are penciled to open the batting in both the Tests against the West Indies unless there is an injury to one of them.
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Will team India once again try Sudarshan at 3 and include Jurel at 5?
Next comes Sai Sudharsan, who, after putting on a decent show at number 3 in England, is all set to continue batting there. He scored a match-saving 50 under tricky conditions in the Manchester Test and came up with important contributions in the other two Tests as well.
India are also still looking for a solid number 3 in this new setup era and probably give him a longer rope than Shubman Gill, based on his domestic performances. The batter recently forged two fifties and a hundred at number 3 against Australia A and, equipped with a good technique, surely is expected to be at number three versus the West Indies.
At four, Shubman Gill will come in as the highest scorer on the England tour. He has quickly stepped into Virat Kohli’s number four slot in Tests and would have been eager to keep it going through his inaugural home assignment as Test captain.
If Rishabh Pant is not available, Dhruv Jurel could bat at number five. This would allow India to play all-rounders down the order, given Jurel’s consistency at the international level, he is expected to get the nod and be trusted to occupy this key position. Jurel also scored 140 against Australia A recently, thereby showing that he does have the pedigree of being a proper batter who can bat slightly higher up the order.
Will Team India risk playing Jasprit Bumrah in the first test?
India seem to have chosen Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj as two of their seamers. Being included in the Test squad after having played in the Asia Cup seems to suggest that Bumrah will most likely figure in the opening Test.
If India manage to clinch the opening Test, they can then afford to rest Jasprit Bumrah for the second Test and bring in Prasidh Krishna. In this way, India have a balanced squad and will most likely fill their side with spin-bowling all-rounders to provide depth for India both with the bat and ball.
India’s likely XI for 1st Test Against West Indies
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
