Prithvi Shaw likely to debut as India, Windies begin battle

OverviewIndia v Windies
1st Test
Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot
Thursday, 4 October, 9:30 AM local time, 4.00 AM GMT

A different-looking Indian squad will now hope to bounce back and strengthen their status as the top-ranked Test team in the world, starting with the first of two Tests in Rajkot on Thursday, 4 October.

On the eve of the match, the Indians named a shortlist of 12 for the Rajkot game, more or less confirming a debut for the 18-year-old opener Prithvi Shaw. He will likely partner KL Rahul at the top of the order.

Shaw captained India to the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup title in New Zealand earlier this year, and has since gone from strength to strength, earning his maiden call-up to the Test squad for the last two Tests in England but not getting a chance.

However, as per the 12, India are still undecided about their bowling combination: Three pacers and three spinners have been shortlisted – depending on the conditions, India will leave one of the group out.

Having left out the likes of Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, India have prioritised youth. Despite that, the Windies will have their work cut out for them, what with the likes of captain Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja forming a vastly experienced spine for India.

That said, the Windies have quite an experienced unit as well. Jason Holder, the captain, has travelled to the sub-continent many times before, while Kraigg Brathwaite, Kieran Powell, Shai Hope, Devendra Bishoo and Shannon Gabriel form a solid core.

Kemar Roach will be unavailable for the Rajkot Test, though, meaning the likes of Holder, Gabriel and Keemo Paul will have to shoulder the pace-bowling responsibilities.

It is spin, however, that could be the decisive factor on sub-continent pitches, and Bishoo's leg-breaks will be crucial for the Windies. Encouragingly for the visitors, he picked up three wickets in the warm-up match against the Indian Board President's XI.

There is also cause for optimism given how Sunil Ambris fared in the tour game – he scored an unbeaten 114 off just 98 balls, and will be raring to go in Rajkot.

Key players

**Virat Kohli (India):**The Indian skipper, who accumulated 593 runs in the England Tests, was rested for India's triumphant Asia Cup 2018 campaign, and will be itching to get back on the crease. Kohli memorably scored a double century against the Windies in North Sound in 2016, but in 13 innings against the men from the Caribbean, that is the only time the Indian captain has reached three figures. It means his average against the Windies is 38.61, a stark drop from his career average of 53.92. It is a stat he will want to improve on in Rajkot.

**Shai Hope (West Indies):**The 24-year-old is a proven match-winner for his country, especially away from home. Hope, who has not yet played against India in the longest format of the game, will be the vital cog for the visitors on tour. The right-hand batsman has an average of 43.81 in overseas conditions and will be expected to lead from the front the visitors' efforts in Rajkot.

Conditions

The forecast for Rajkot is for sunny, blue skies, and plenty of it. This will be just the second Test played at the venue. In Rajkot's Test debut in November 2016, India and England played out a high-scoring draw. Suffice to say a lot of runs can be expected come Thursday.

Squads

India (shortlist of 12): Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav

Windies: Jason Holder (c), Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Jahmar Hamilton, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Keemo Paul, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican