India vs West Indies: All about the first Test match
What's the story
India and West Indies gear up for the first Test in Rajkot, starting October 4. Men in Blue will be looking to bounce back from the 1-4 series defeat against England. Virat Kohli is all set to lead the side for the two-match Test series. The focus will be on India's batsmen and the spinners to get the job done. Here's our pre-match report.
Bowling
Indian bowlers will trouble WI
Spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are a formidable force on home turf and to provide back-up is youngster Kuldeep Yadav. India have enjoyed a superb record at home against visiting teams since the last couple of years and West Indian batsmen will find it hard to play quality spin. Further, pacers Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav have the attributes to pick crucial wickets.
Indian batting
Kohli will present the biggest challenge
Virat has been in amazing form with the bat. He has already amassed 879 runs this year in Tests. He will present the biggest challenge for the visitors. Rahul and Mayank are likely to open the batting. Debutant Mayank will look to make this opportunity count and cement his place in the Test squad. Overall, West Indies bowlers have a stiff task ahead.
Windies
Young WI have a tough task ahead
West Indies have several young guns in their ranks and the series will give them a lot of experience. Jason Holder will need to be decisive and smart as captain. He has to lead the way with performance. Middle order batsman Shai Hope is their main asset and the same can be said about opener Kraigg Brathwaite. Spinner Devendra Bishoo will look to impress.
Numbers
Stat attack- India versus Windies
In 94 Test matches played between the two sides, West Indies enjoy a 30-18 advantage. The rest of the matches ended in draw. Jason Holder is two wickets away from getting to the 200-wicket mark in internationals. He also needs 17 more runs to get to 1,500-run mark in Test cricket. Cheteshwar Pujara needs 191 to get to 5,000 runs in the 5-day format.
Info
What to expect: Pitch and conditions
According to reports, there is no rain expected during the match as the temperatures are set to soar high. The heat levels will test the players on all five days. Batsmen will be relishing the pitch on offer that promises plenty of runs. The team, which wins the toss, is expected to bat first.
Information
TV listing and timing
The match is set to telecast live on the Star Sports Network in both English and Hindi commentary. The match is scheduled to start at 9:30 AM IST. It can also be streamed live on Hotstar.