India's predicted playing XI for the 1st Test vs West Indies
Fresh off another defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, Team India will commence the 2023-25 cycle with a two-match tour of the West Indies. The first Test will be played in Roseau from July 12.
The away side have named a fairly strong side for the assignment despite the absence of certain first-choice stars, including Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul and Mohammad Shami. A debut or two could be on the cards in the series opener.
India's Test squad for the West Indies series: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.
Here is India's predicted playing XI for the first Test against West Indies.
Openers: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal
Indian captain Rohit Sharma has confirmed that he will open the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, who will make his debut in the opening Test.
Rohit needs to notch up a couple of big scores to justify his decent run as an opener in the format. Meanwhile, Jaiswal averages around 80 in first-class cricket and has shown a penchant for notching up big scores.
Middle Order: Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk)
Rohit and Jaiswal opening the batting will allow Shubman Gill the chance to move into the middle order.
While No. 5 seems like the ideal position for the young right-hander, Ajinkya Rahane currently occupies that spot and doesn't seem too keen on moving up to No. 3. Gill will thus take up the role previously manned by Cheteshwar Pujara, as confirmed by Rohit.
Virat Kohli hasn't scored an away Test century in approximately five years and also doesn't boast great numbers in the Caribbean. He will want to set both records straight, with a big knock or two due from the great man's willow.
Rahane, appointed the vice-captain once again, will be crucial to India's fortunes. Unlike Kohli, the batter has an excellent record against the Windies and will want to build on the form he showed in the WTC final against Australia.
There are reports suggesting that Ishan Kishan could make his Test debut against the West Indies, with KS Bharat failing to deliver with the bat in the format thus far. This one could go either way, but with India following the pecking order philosophy, they might be inclined to give Bharat one last go before making a change.
All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur
Picking India's all-rounders is a straightforward task. Ravindra Jadeja will likely bat at No. 6 and have a big role to play with the ball, while Ravichandran Ashwin will return to the playing XI after missing out on the WTC final. Shardul Thakur, meanwhile, will need to be consistent as the third seamer.
Bowlers: Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj is guaranteed to be the lead pacer for Team India, and the other spot will be a shoot-out between Jaydev Unadkat, Mukesh Kumar and Navdeep Saini. Unadkat is the front-runner, given his consistency and left-arm angle.