Predicting India's Starting Lineup For First Test vs West Indies
With the Asia Cup 2018 success now at the back of their minds, Team India will head to Rajkot, Gujarat, to begin their home bilateral Test Series against the West Indies. The Test Squad for the 2-Test Series has been announced, with most of the expected names retaining their places and a couple of surprising omissions as well.
With that in mind, here's a possible starting lineup for Team India for their first Test match since their long Tour of England.
Mayank Agarwal
India's most prolific first-class run-getter over the last year finally gets the chance to represent his country, and with Shikhar Dhawan being dropped from the Test squad, Mayank Agarwal should slot straight into his favored opening position.
The right-hander has scored buckets of runs in Indian domestic cricket; with over two thousand runs across all formats last season for Karnataka, and a sparkling First-Class Double-Century against South Africa A in Bengaluru this August, he richly deserves his maiden call-up to the Indian Test side.
With this being a home series in familiar conditions, Agarwal deserves first crack at the West Indies bowling lineup to see if he can convert his First-Class form into a big Test score.
KL Rahul
KL Rahul would've had a tour to forget during India's Test series against England, if not for the final Test against England at The Oval, where he scored a brilliant 149 to take India close to what could've been an incredible 4th innings run-chase.
Rahul has always been known to possess the talent and the strokemaking ability to succeed at Test level, but his technique against the moving red ball was heavily exposed during India's Test Series in South Africa and England, averaging a mere 16.67 across 9 innings in England before his century.
The home series vs the West Indies should be a gentler proposition though, so expect him to make up for lost time with a good innings.
Cheteshwar Pujara
Pujara had a moderately successful tour of England, even if he wasn't as productive with the bat as he would've liked to be. An important cog of the Test batting lineup because of his stoic mindset and ability to occupy the crease for lengthy periods of time, Pujara scored an impressive half-century at Nottingham and followed that up with one of his best innings in the Indian jersey, a magnificent 132* at Southampton that showcased all his Test credentials. He should keep his place for this Test series.
Virat Kohli (C)
Captain. Leader. Legend. What more can be said about the greatest all-format batsman in world cricket at present after his incredible tour of England? Virat Kohli had been waiting for this chance to bury the ghosts of his disastrous 2014 English Tour, and he grabbed his opportunity with both hands, with two centuries, two fifties and a staggering 593 runs at an average of 59.30.
He was far and away the best batsman of the series, and established his credentials as one of the all-time greats of the game with the way he adapted his technique to some very difficult batting conditions. He was found wanting on the captaincy front, however, and didn't seem to be able to bring the best out of the other batsmen in the team during the Test series vs England. Kohli may be a slight doubt for the 1st Test because of a reported wrist injury, but barring that, will look to captain the team to a home series win over the West Indies.
Ajinkya Rahane (VC)
A couple of good fifties aside, Ajinkya Rahane had a disappointing tour of England with the bat, considering a lot was expected of him as one of India's best batsmen in overseas conditions. His confidence looked low, and he didn't appear to be able to find the balance between leaving the good balls and punishing the bad deliveries in the series, getting out repeatedly in similar ways.
He should still keep his place in the XI for this Test series though, and will look to score big against the West Indies to safeguard his place for the upcoming Tour of Australia this winter.
Rishabh Pant (WK)
Dinesh Karthik's total loss of form on the tour of England meant there was a new spot for a long-term Wicketkeeper-Batsman in the Indian Test XI, and 20-year-old Rishabh Pant was given the opportunity to fulfill that requirement.
While his wicketkeeping still needs considerable work at the international level (he conceded an incredible 76 byes across 6 innings against England), his attacking batting-style and ability to change the complexion of the game have led to comparisons with Adam Gilchrist, the archetypal attacking wicketkeeper-batsman of our times, and Pant's role model as a youngster.
Pant showcased his attacking potential with a blistering 114 in his final innings in England that nearly took the game away from a surefire English victory. If he can improve his performances behind the stumps and continue posting big scores with his attacking batting style, he looks set to be India's new long-term wicketkeeper-batsman.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Playing as the lone spinner in the Test Series against England backing up India's pace quartet, it was always going to be difficult for Ravi Ashwin to replicate his effectiveness on subcontinental pitches out on the wet, seaming conditions on offer in English Test tracks.
For the most part, he held his own and took wickets with excellent deliveries to England's left-handed batsmen, but an injury midway through the series nullified his wicket-taking ability and rendered him toothless when India desperately needed him to perform.
While Ashwin may have issues operating as the lone spinner outside the subcontinent, he should be backed up by ample spin support in the form of Ravi Jadeja & Kuldeep Yadav in this Test Series against the Windies, so expect him to perform well and take wickets this time.
Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja got his chance to play in the 5th Test against England when Ravi Ashwin had to be rested because of his injury, and he made his opportunity count with seven wickets in the Test and an excellent 86* in the first innings at The Oval.
In the absence of Hardik Pandya, he provides vital balance to the Playing XI as a capable batsman, a good left-arm spinner and one of the best fielders in world cricket. He should prove to be an excellent weapon against the West Indies.
Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav couldn't make the most of his recall to the Test Squad in England when he only got a chance to play at Lord's, in a Test that was blighted by rainy weather and a track with no assistance to the spinners.
His recent white-ball form in the Asia Cup 2018 has shown, however, that he is one of India's most potent wicket-taking weapons with the ball, especially on tracks that slow down as the game progresses. He should receive another opportunity to prove his red-ball credentials on a track in Saurashtra that will provide help to the spinners, and will prove to be extremely dangerous as part of a spin trio with Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami was one of India's most successful bowlers in the recently concluded Test Series against England. He picked up 16 wickets in the series at a healthy average of 38.87, and was a constant menace to both right-handed and left-handed batsmen throughout with his good pace (regularly bowling at 140+ kph) and his ability to generate hints of late seam movement off the pitch.
While this Indian Test series won't be as conducive to seam bowling, he should still prove to be more than capable of leading the line with Umesh Yadav before the spinners switch in to bowl.
Umesh Yadav
In the absence of Test regulars such as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav has proven to be a very capable deputy for India across all three formats of the game.
He is one of India's fastest bowlers, capable even of speeds in excess of 145 kph, and just this year became the eighth Indian pacer to reach 100 Test Wickets, in the historic Test against Afghanistan. He should prove to be more than capable of opening the bowling with the red ball in this Test Series vs the West Indies.