Virat Kohli-led Team India will take on West Indies in the first of two-match Test series at North Sound, Antigua today. Both teams are all set to play their first Test under ICC World Test Championship.
Team Updates
The World Number 1 in Tests, Team India is expected to field a full-strength squad in the first Test. Skipper Virat Kohli, on the back of two hundreds in the last two ODIs will look to continue his rich form in five-day cricket.
Cheteshwar Pujara had a great nick during the warm-up match. A hundred in the first innings is a boost for the World Number 4 batsman (in ICC Test rankings) & Team India.
West Indies on the other hand can bring a different challenge in longer format. They've defeated the recently victorious World Cup winners England in their previous Test series. The only setback the team has is Keemo Paul, who has been ruled out of the first Test due to an injury to his left ankle. Fast bowler Miguel Cummins is called-in as his replacement. Cummins also made his Test debut against India three years ago in Jamaica.
Did you know?
The Indian cricket team has not lost a Test series in West Indies in over 17 years now. The last of which came in 2002 under Sourav Ganguly. That West Indies squad was led by Carl Hooper in a side studded with the likes of B. Lara, W. Hinds, S. Chanderpaul, R. Jacobs, C. Gayle among others.
Head to head
India: 20 | West Indies: 30 (Overall)
India: 07 | West Indies: 16 (In West Indies)
Last three Test series (In West Indies)
2006 - India won the 4-match series 1-0, Player of the series: Rahul Dravid
2011 - India won the 3-match series 1-0, Player of the series: Ishant Sharma
2016 - India won the 4-match series 2-0, Player of the series: Ravichandran Ashwin
West Indies (Test squad):
Jason Holder (c), Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Rakheem Cornwall, Shane Dowrich (WK), Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (WK), , Kemar Roach, Miguel Cummins
India (Test squad):
Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane (VC), Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, C Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant (WK) Wriddhiman Saha (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav
