1st Test: WI elect to bat; Yashasvi, Ishan make debut
West Indies and India are set to clash in the opener of the two-Test series, which marks the start of their 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship cycle. India are certainly a better team on paper and would head into the series as favorites. They haven't lost a Test in WI since 2002. WI captain Kraigg Brathwaite has won the toss and elected to bat.
Here are the two teams
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, and Mohammed Siraj. West Indies (Playing XI): Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Raymon Reifer, Jermaine Blackwood, Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva (wicket-keeper), Jason Holder, Rahkeem Cornwall, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, and Jomel Warrican.
Debuts for Yashasvi, Ishan
Young batters Yashasvi and Ishan have received their maiden Test caps. The duo has been faring well in white-ball cricket, including the Indian Premier League (IPL) of late. Notably, Ishan will keep wickets for India in the match.
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
Dominica's Windsor Park will host the duel, starting on July 12. The track here favors the pacers on the opening day and eases out for batting in the next two days (Average first-innings score: 246). Spinners would come into play in the final two days. The match will be telecast live on Doordarshan (7:30 PM IST) and live-streamed on the FanCode and JioCinema app.
West Indies last beat India at home in 2002
India own 22 wins and 30 defeats in 98 Tests against the Caribbean team (Draws: 46). However, WI's last Test win against India came two decades ago, in May 2002. Since the start of this century, India have won 15 of the 28 Tests against WI while losing just two. At home, WI boast 16 wins and nine defeats against India in 51 Tests.
A look at the key performers
At home, Holder has scored 1,679 runs at 38.15 besides scalping 92 wickets at 23.39. Brathwaite scored 994 runs at 43.21 in the last WTC cycle. Ashwin owns 60 wickets at 21.85 and 552 runs at 50.18 against WI in 11 Tests. His fellow all-rounder Jadeja scalped 47 wickets at 23.68 besides scoring 721 runs at 36.04 in the last WTC cycle.
Will spin outlast pace here?
As per Cricbuzz, Windsor Park has been favoring spin bowling of late in Test cricket. Spinners have accounted for 87 wickets at an average of 23.35 here. Meanwhile, pacers have accounted for 80 scalps at an average of 28.43.
