IND vs WI, Ahmedabad Test: Roston Chase elects to bat
What's the story
India are up against West Indies in the first Test of the two-match series at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This is Shubman Gill's first home Test as captain, with veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja serving as his deputy. Though West Indies will take the field as underdogs, they will be determined to upset their more-fancied opponents. Meanwhile, WI captain Roston Chase has won the toss in this encounter and elected to bat first.
Match conditions
How will the pitch play?
The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium is a red-soil surface with a green cover. The curator has left a thick layer of grass, which will be trimmed to 4-5mm before the toss. This surface is likely to help fast bowlers with seam movement and extra bounce early on, but could wear down over time and bring spinners into play. The match will be broadcasted live on Star Sports Network and streamed online on JioHotstar app/website (9:30am IST).
H2H
India vs West Indies: Head-to-head record
India and West Indies have faced each other in 100 Test matches so far, as per ESPNcricinfo. The Caribbean side has a slight edge with 30 wins to India's 23. There have also been 47 drawn matches between the two teams. However, WI's last Test win against India came two decades ago, in May 2002. At home, India boast 13 wins and 14 defeats against India in 47 Tests (Draws: 20).
Debutants
Test debuts for Layne and Pierre
Fast-bowling all-rounder Johann Layne and left-arm spinner Khary Pierre have made their Test debuts for West Indies. They would be looking to make a significant mark. Meanwhile, both teams have gone with six bowling options in the XI (3 pacers and 3 spinners). Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy are the all-rounders in the Indian XI.
XIs
Here are the XIs
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj. West Indies (Playing XI): Tagenarine Chanderpaul, John Campbell, Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, Shai Hope(w), Roston Chase(c), Justin Greaves, Jomel Warrican, Khary Pierre, Johann Layne, Jayden Seales.
Stats
A look at the key performers
As per ESPNcricinfo, Yashasvi Jaiswal averages a stunning 60.61 in home Tests. He scored a stunning 171 on his Test debut against WI in 2023. WI pacer Jayden Seales has been in top form, claiming 16 Test wickets this year at 22.43. Gill comes into this series after a stellar run in England, scoring 754 runs at an average of 75.40 across five Tests. WI left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican averages a stunning 21.87 in Asia, having taken 55 Test wickets.