Help captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri pick India's playing XI for the Jamaica Test.
Following their crushing 318-run victory against West Indies in the opening Test, India will be aiming to continue their rampaging form and complete a 2-0 series whitewash, in the second Test starting in Jamaica, on Friday, August 30.
Ajinkya Rahane led the way with the bat in the first Test with a century -- his first in two years -- and 81 to silence his critics, while Hanuma Vihari also chipped in with a fluent innings of 93 and Ravindra Jadeja showcased his all-round skills to justify his inclusion ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin with a timely 50 in the first innings along with bagging a couple of wickets.
Pacers Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah took five wickets in the first and second innings respectively, with Mohammed Shami giving good support with four wickets in the game.
Despite the big win, one area of concern for India will be the opening slot with the visitors losing Mayank Agarwal early in both innings, while KL Rahul threw away good starts both times with scores of 44 and 38.
But Rishabh Pant's poor showing in the Antigua Test will be a cause of concern for the team management. He struggled big time with the gloves, especially against spinner Ravindra Jadeja, and didn't contribute much with the bat either. Veteran Wriddhiman Saha could be drafted in the playing XI if India want a reliable pair of gloves behind the stumps, or else they could give the young Pant another opportunity.
The victory helped India garner the maximum 60 points in their ICC World Test Championship opening match.
The inaugural championship involves the nine top-ranked Test nations competing in a league between July 2019 and April 2021, with the top two sides progressing to the final which will be held in England in June 2021.
India would no doubt be keen to continue their domination and finish with a maximum of 120 points from the two-match Test series against West Indies, and stay on top of the leaderboard.
As such, India will once again field their best playing XI for the second match despite winning the first match so convincingly.
It seems unlikely that captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri will risk making changes to the winning combination, like bringing in the likes of Rohit Sharma or Ravichandran Ashwin in place of Hanuma Vihari or Ravindra Jadeja.
In fact, part-time off-spinner Vihari claimed he has been included as the all-rounder and is working hard on his bowling to keep his place.
Captain Kohli is well aware that India's playing XIs in Test matches are a subject of intense debate but insists that all decisions are taken keeping in mind the "best interests of the team".
There was a debate on the omission of senior off-spinner Ashwin for the opening match, with the legendary Sunil Gavaskar even terming his exclusion as "astonishing".
"We have a group discussion and then we decide what's best for the team. There will always be opinions about the XI, but people will know that it's in the interest of the team," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Do you think India will retain the same team for the second Test? Or will they bring in Rohit or Ashwin? Should Saha replace Pant?
Help Kohli and Shastri pick India's playing XI for the Jamaica Test by clicking on the boxes below:
Photograph: BCCI
