Windies await monumental Indian test

Ahmedabad: During the bitterly fought Asia Cup, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav took a dig at Pakistan by saying a ‘rivalry’ against India doesn’t exist anymore. Most captains will refrain from making such bold comments, especially the ones that belittle their opponents, but the bitter truth is India has gone on to become a superpower in world cricket while Pakistan is mired deep in problems.

The same, although it may sound harsh, can be said about the West Indies, against whom India will lock horns in a two-match Test series starting Thursday at the Narendra Modi Stadium here. Once the dominant force of world cricket with fear-inducing bowlers and dashing batters who could tear apart any attack with panache, the West Indies have now been reduced to a laughing stock with even minnows Nepal taking a 2-0 series lead — albeit in T20 format against a second string side.

India, who once struggled to match up to the mighty West Indies in the era gone by losing first five consecutive Test series they contested, have now turned the tables completely. Since losing the fourth Test of the 2022 series at Sabina Park in Jamaica, the Indians have bossed the next nine series — winning four at home and the remaining away. Even more startling is the fact that India haven’t lost a single game in 26 Tests against the West Indies in that period, winning 15 of them. Simply put, the West Indies have struggled to match up to the Indians, and the prediction is that the visitors, already hit by injuries to fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph even before a ball could be bowled, will need less than a miracle to avoid a 2-0 defeat.

Having said that, India will be wary of taking the West Indies lightly despite the Caribbeans being bowled out for a measly 27 by Australia this May. India themselves are going through a transition with the series being the first at home for a decade without either former skipper Virat Kohli or ace spinner R Ashwin featuring in playing XI. There’s also the lingering bitter aftertaste of the 3-0 home drubbing India suffered at the hands of New Zealand about a year ago.

The onus on this new bunch, led by Shubman Gill, will be to restore the dominance India exerted at home from 2012 to 2024 where they won 18 consecutive series. The West Indies will be the first step towards that goal, with the World Test Championship winner South Africa up next in November. The series against the West Indies gives them the perfect chance to get into the groove ahead of the bigger battle.

Two days ahead of the match, the pitch wore a green look that took most by surprise. During the decade of home dominance, Indians preferred playing on turning tracks, with Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja often running rings around visiting batters. Although India have packed their side with four spinners, the abundance of grass less than 48 hours before the start of play has left many wondering what strategy this India team under head coach Gautam Gambhir is trying to employ. All the grass could even be shaved off on Wednesday, but even if India chose to retain it, they have three wonderful pacers who can exploit it. 

The series will be a strong test for Sudharsan, who has now officially received the backing for the all-important No. 3 slot. He gave a decent account of his talent in England, but the West Indies present a great opportunity for him to show he indeed is ready for the rigours of Test cricket.

India will also be hoping for good weather, with rain forecast for the duration of the Test.

Squad: India (from): Shubman Gill (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, Axar Patel, N Jagadeesan (wk).

West Indies: Roston Chase (capt), Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope (wk), Tevin Imlach, Johann Layne, Jediah Blades, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales, Jomel Warrican.