India will aiming for a winning start to kick off the new season when they take on the West Indies in the first Test, starting in Dominica on Wednesday, July 12, 2023.
India have been a force to recoken in Test cricket for the last 10-15 years, but in recent years they have also fared well overseas.
India have lost only one series out of eight played in the last three years.
Their only Test series loss in that period came in South Africa when they were beaten 2-1 in December 2021, but they have won six series including away wins in Australia and Bangladesh, while they earned a creditable 2-2 series draw in England in 2021 after beating them 3-1 at home.
With the West Indies continually on the decline, India have been unbeaten against them for more than two decades, with their last defeat coming in the Caribbean in 2002.
India have won their last eight series against the West Indies, including four in the Caribbean, and there is no reason why that winning run would stop this time around in the two Test series.
India will also be desperate to make up for the disappointment in the World Test Championship final against Australia with a thumping series win in the West Indies and no wonder they have gone in for a near full strength squad despite calls being made to try out the youngsters.
Mumbai's batting sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal is all set to make his Test debut after some incredible performances with the bat in IPL 2023 and in domestic cricket. It remains to be seen if he takes over the No 3 slot from Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been dropped, or if he plays as the opener with Shubman Gill dropping to one down.
Newly-appointed vice captain Ajinkya Rahane will aim to continue his unbelievable record in the West Indies, where he averages 102, with 514 runs in six Tests -- including two centuries and three fifties.
Captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have struggled for runs in the Caribbean. Kohli averages a lowly 35 in the West Indies, with 463 runs from nine Tests, while Rohit has tallied just 50 runs in two Test innings.
Wicket-keeper K S Bharat needs a couple of good knocks in the West Indies after his not so impressive showing at home against Australia and also in the WTC final.
Bharat struggled on the spin-friendly pitches in the four-Test series against Australia, managing 44 runs in six innings, while in the WTC final he made 23 in the two innings.
With Ishan Kishan also in the squad, the first Test could be a sort of perform or perish game for Bharat.
Among the bowlers, India will ponder about their combination given that Windsor Park in Dominica hasn't hosted too many Test matches. Since making its debut in the 2011 series against India, the venue has hosted just six Tests.
The last Test played at this venue was more than six years ago when Pakistan beat the West Indies by 101 runs in May 2017 with the pacers taking 11 wickets and leg-spinner Yasir Shah grabbing eight, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings on a slow track which progressively got difficult for batting.
India are spoilt for choices with a number of bowling all-rounders in their team, but they are set to pick five specialist bowlers. The first two names among the bowlers in the playing XI will definitely be spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, while the remaining three could be pacers.
With Mohammed Shami rested, Mohammed Siraj will lead the pace attack, while two among Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, Jaydev Unadkat and Mukesh Kumar could get the nod.
Thakur's all-round abilities makes him a favourite to be included, while the team management will face a tough choice between Saini, whose express pace could come in handy, or veteran Unadkat, who possesses all the required skills and experience to pick up wickets on such wickets.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against the West Indies?
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