India vs West Indies Match Prediction: Who will win today's 1st Test match?
It's been more than two decades since West Indies managed to beat India in a Test series. The last time they did...
Nobody knew who MS Dhoni was. Sourav Ganguly was the Indian captain. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. The world hadn't yet been introduced to the T20 format. So what did people do for entertainment? Maybe they watched the sitcom Friends, which was still on air.
It's 2023 now, and while the world has evolved, the Windies are now a significantly weaker team than India. They won only four of their 13 Tests in the previous World Test Championship (WTC) cycle to finish eighth on the table, above only Bangladesh.
India, meanwhile, stumbled their way into the WTC final, where they were thoroughly outplayed by a confident Australian side. Having suffered consecutive losses in the summit clash, Rohit Sharma and Co. will be keen on turning things around this time, starting with their Caribbean challenge.
The odds may be skewed in favor of India, but the Windies are an unpredictable team. More importantly, they might just have the resources to stick a thorn in the away side's flesh...
India vs West Indies Match Prediction: Rohit Sharma and Co. seek positive start to WTC 2023-25 cycle
The key to the Windies' chances will lie in the hands of their fast bowlers. Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel and Jason Holder offer what Jaydev Unadkat and Shardul Thakur cannot. They have height, pace and an unmatched familiarity with the conditions.
India are set to field a slightly new-look batting lineup, with Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order, Shubman Gill at No. 3, and perhaps even a new wicket-keeper. As a result, the West Indies pace quartet will fancy their chances of getting a few early breakthroughs.
However, will the pitches give them enough assistance, thereby reducing the impact Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin have on the game? Dominica hasn't hosted a Test in quite a while, so it's tough to predict how the surface will play.
India, meanwhile, will need to break the resolute opening partnership of captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul. If they do so, they could run through a middle order that is brimming with talent but is admittedly short on experience and top-level pedigree.
Overall, while the Windies are in with a puncher's chance, India are the clear favorites to make a winning start to the new WTC cycle.
Prediction: India to win the 1st Test vs West Indies.