India vs West Indies 1st Test Match Preview: Can Caribbean Stars Challenge India at Ahmedabad?

The test series between India and West Indies will kick-start from October 2. The Indian team will come into this series on the back of a strong Asia Cup performance. Though the challenge against West Indies is completely different, the momentum they gained during the Asia Cup will certainly help them to become ruthless in this series. It is expected that India will dominate the first test, however, West Indies can spring some surprise with their unfamiliar faces.

During the last few years, India has shown clear dominance while playing tests at home. A lot of its credit goes to none other than Virat Kohli, who made India a real force at home. He is one of those superstars who have changed the face of Indian test cricket. Under Kohli’s captaincy, India maintained a near-unbeaten record at home. Now, the reins of the test team is given to Shubman Gill, who is currently enjoying a very good form in tests.

When West Indies will come out to face India at Ahmedabad, they will know what type of challenge they could get in the middle. It is quite obvious that India will prepare rank turners for this series as well. Over the years, they have performed remarkably well at home with this strategy, as no team has found answers for Indian spinners while playing at Ahmedabad, Indore, or any other place.

West Indies are well aware of this fact, hence they have also picked plenty of spin resources in their squad. Some of the names like Khary Pierre and Jomel Warrican could give match-defining performances for West Indies. They have a proven track record in spin bowling, so West Indies will rely on them to give India a solid punch at home.

West Indies Squad Analysis for 1st Test

Keeping in view the condition of the Indian pitches, West Indies have picked specialist resources in their squad. They have strengthened the spin bowling attack by adding Roston Chase, Khary Pierre and Jomel Warrican in the team. Khary Pierre is relatively new to the international scene, as he has not made a debut for WI as of yet. He has been picked in the squad on the basis of a strong first-class record at home. This evaluation could ultimately give him a test cap at Ahmedabad, provided WI opts to go with three spinners in the game.

As far as batting is concerned, West Indies have come to India with many new faces. For years, they have relied on Kraigg Brathwaite as the main batter and leader. However, this time, he has been dropped from the squad, as well as the recently announced central contracts. The batting unit of WI will therefore look completely changed in the match against India. The visitors will rely on some young faces that have produced strong performances in recent times.

From Alick Athanaze to Tagenarine Chanderpaul, there are some players who could define the new era of batting for West Indies in this series. It would be interesting to see how they will come up against Indian spinners, as that will test their quality and temperament in the game.

India Squad Analysis for 1st Test

India have accepted that the era of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in test cricket is now over. They will need to form a new batting core now to fill that gap. The arrival of Yashasvi Jaiswal has given them a lot of hope. He has performed tremendously well in the Australian tour, showcasing why he is highly rated in the cricket circles of India.

This test series will give him a great opportunity to further solidify his place in batting. He would be joined by KL Rahul at the other end, who is also performing superbly well in test cricket for quite some time. His batting in the last England tour was exceptional, as he made 532 runs in 10 innings at an average of 53.20.

Talking about the bowling department of India, it is poised to play a big role in all the matches against West Indies. The spin attack will specifically come into focus, as specialists like Kuldeep Yadav and  Ravindra Jadeja could tear apart Caribbean batting on rank turners. A good spell from either of these two could give India an edge over West Indies, especially in the final phase of the match when the pitch begins to show cracks.

Possible XI of West Indies for 1st Test

1 Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 2 Kevlon Anderson, 3 Alick Athanaze, 4 Brandon King, 5 Shai Hope (wk), 6 Roston Chase, 7 Justin Greaves, 8 Khary Pierre, 9 Jomel Warrican, 10 Anderson Phillip, 11 Jayden Seales.

Possible XI of India for 1st Test

1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 B Sai Sudharsan, 4 Shubman Gill (capt), 5 Dhruv Jurel (wk), 6 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj.

Match Prediction

West Indies will come into the 1st test with a clear understanding of the spin challenge. They will try to bat first if the wicket does not have much grass on the surface. Getting a good score in the first innings would be vital for them, as it would put India under pressure. In short, the team that will take advantage of the pitch during the first two days will surely get a chance to come out as winners in the end.