That's it, we are done with the day. Both KL Rahul and Shubman Gill are unbeaten at stumps. The former has played quite a superb innings, and the latter did what the doctor ordered for the situation he came into bat in. The batters, both dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan, will be kicking themselves for the ruined opportunity of not making it big. Sudharsan is more than Jaiswal. The situation was set up for him to score a big innings, but he did not. As per West Indies, batting was quite ordinary from them with the ball. Seales has shown a bit of spark, but apart from that, there has not been much for them to smile about. That's it from us for today. Do join us tomorrow to catch all the updates.
It took only one wicket for Siraj to find his groove again (AP Photo)IND vs WI 1st Test highlights: KL Rahul and Shubman Gill have been unbeaten at stumps for India on day-1 of the first Test between India and West Indies at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. India has managed to get into a comfortable position after scoring 121/2 and trail by 41 runs.
IND vs WI 1st Test Day 2 – LIVE Cricket Score Updates: Follow here
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan are the batters who have been dismissed by the West Indies. The former fell after the rain interruption to Jayden Seales’ delivery, and the latter fell prey to Roston Chase’s good-length delivery, which kept a bit low. Although he picked up just one wicket, Seales has been the pick of the bowlers for the West Indies.
IND vs WI 1st Test – LIVE Cricket Score, Full Scorecard: Watch Here
It is back to Test mode for India. The two teams have been training at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the venue for the match, in Ahmedabad for two days before the start of the match. For India, it is all about the start of a new era, with this being the first home Test in well over a decade to not feature Ravichandran Ashwin, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, all of whom were regulars in the side that established their invincibility in India.
That invincibility was broken in rather spectacular fashion by New Zealand late last year as they whitewashed India 3-0. The series against the West Indies is India’s first at home since that humiliating result against the Kiwis. This will also be Shubman Gill’s first series at home as India’s Test captain.
While it is also the start of a new era for a young West Indies side, they are grappling with existential questions as opposed to India’s comparitively optimistic search for replacements to past stalwarts. West Indies had been whitewashed at home by Australia in their last series, with the third Test ending with them being all out for just 27 runs.
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India
448/5 dec (128.0)West Indies
162 (44.1) & 146 (45.1)India beat West Indies by an innings and 140 runs
We are coming to the close of play here, and it has been India all over the West Indies. This is what more or less one would have expected given the form of the West Indies in recent times, but India still had to deliver the performance without getting complacent, which they did. They have been quite professional in the way they went about things, and the way things currently look seems like the West Indies will get a hammering in this Test at least. For them, it is all about learning and trying to get experience as this is quite a young side.
KL Rahul has scored 50 now. There has been a certain sense of calm when Rahul is batting in the middle. From being uncertain of what position he will be batting in the side, Rahul has now become a calming influence, whichever position is given to him to bat. Today, yet again, right from ball one, he looked in control and was measured and took India into a dominant position here. India is now looking in a pretty solid position. If they won't lose another wicket today before stumps, they will be looking to bat big and ensure they only bat once in this Test match.
KL Rahul has played a shot of the backfoot and seems like he has cramped a bit here. The physio has come into the middle and is giving Rahul a bit of attention. Hopefully, this interruption does not cause a break in his concentration. He has played quite nicely so far, and it will be a shame if that injury hampers his batting now. Rahul has only one ton in the Indian conditions and nine away from home. With four Tests coming in the home season, he would be hoping to add at least two more to that tally.
Shubman Gill has walked in after having a dream series in England at the Asia Cup. He was a bit up and down with his form. But back to Whites, he will be hoping to continue the good form. Although India is in a good position with the ball doing a bit, they will need to be a tad bit careful today, especially with about 40 minutes left in the day. In between the overs it was shown that both Rahul and Gill were seen having a long discussion. Rahul would have briefed Gill about the conditions. As per the West Indies, they will need to put pressure on Gill and stop giving those easy singles away which they are doing at the moment.
Roston Chase has picked up Sai Sudharan. It was a ball in the good length region which Sudharsan had made up his mind to pull, but the ball skidded on and hit the pads of Sudharsan, and it was as plumb as it gets. With the foundation set by the openers in the initial overs, he had an opportunity to make a big score, but he squandered it. To be fair, he has looked a bit like a cat on a hot tin roof since that vicious turner in Pierre's previous over. There was an immediate runout opportunity following delivery, which India barely survived, and eventually he fell here.
Well, well, what do we have here? Pierre pitched one into the rough outside the off-stump to Sai Sudharsan, and the dust exploded, and the ball turned too sharply, and the keeper behind the stumps had no clue whatsoever, and the ball ran away for a boundary. That will stick in the memory of both Sai Sudharsan and KL Rahul. Indian batters in the dressing room, too, will make a note of it. While this wicket is expected to turn at some point in the game, the vicious turn we have witnessed is going to only aggravate as the game goes on.
Apart from that one wicket, it has been pretty smooth sailing for the Indian side. The spinners, since coming into the attack, have hardly looked effective. Pierre, who is on his debut, has started with a long-on and mid-wicket, which shows that the captain wants to give him a bit of protection early in the piece, and KL Rahul, sensing the moment, is looking to attack the young spinner and put pressure on him, and so far, he is being successful. Sai Sudharsan, on the other hand, has looked pretty solid. Whatever initial bit of nibble was there before the rain break has now completely disappeared.
Jayden Seales has picked up the first wicket here, and it is Yashasvi Jaiswal who tried to cut the ball, which was a bit close to him, and the ball took the edge, and the keeper took the catch. Just when he had started to look comfortable at the crease, he fell. He will be kicking himself, Jaiswal. The, wicket was showing signs of getting flatter, and the West Indies bowlers were looking a bit flat. Sai Sudharsan has walked into the middle, and he is quite accustomed to these conditions playing for the Gujarat Titans. He might be looking to fill up his belly with some runs in this series.
Since the break, there has been a bit more of an urgency from the Indian side. It does seem like there has been a message from the dressing room to take a bit more chances and take the game onto the West Indies bowlers and see how they react. As of now, Roston Chase has quickly turned back to Seales, who has looked the best bowler so far in this innings. However, we go back to the point we made earlier, could Seales have bowled a couple of more overs with the new ball? Nibbling is something he can go back and have a look at. However, that ship has sailed, and the ball is coming nicely onto the bat now.
There is a bit of intent from Jaiswal since the break we have had. He looked to play a couple of attacking shots, and both paid off against Greaves, which is more like it. It did give the impression that he seemed like he was getting into his shell a bit. But this is good, this is better. While playing with caution is good, having that healthy balance of strike rotation and respecting the ball is very important, and so far, Jaiswal has not found that balance. Meanwhile, Rahul at the other end, who tends to play like Jaiswal today, has been a lot freer and has played some nice strokes.
We are back, the sun is shining here once again in Ahmedabad. We went off the field for 22 minutes; hence, that will be added at the back end of the day. If light permitting, we might go on till 5:22 in the evening to make up the time. Rahul and Jaiswal resume for India
At the end of a 10-minute press conference where West Indies captain Roston Chase spent most of the time listing out the profiles of his teammates, he was brutal when it came to the assessment of the outside world about his own team. “Everyone is expecting us lose,” he said. It may be true in many ways, except in the case of their opponents, India. (Read more)
Well, the rain has stopped play here. It is that time of the season in India. We have to see how long we are going to have an interruption here, given how things look. It is looking a bit grim here. If not for the drizzle, the lights too have dipped quite significantly compared to what we had 20-30 minutes ago. Do stay with us, we will keep updating you, and also will plug our lovely pieces written by our writers.
This is a bit of an unusual innings from Jaiswal. He has faced 32 deliveries now for his four runs. We have seen in the past when Jaiswal tends to play within himself for a certain phase of the innings; today, he seems to have started that way. Also, the ball is not coming onto the bat as Jaiswal would have wanted. The wicket is still a bit damp; the sun has not dried out the moisture enough through that morning session. Having said that, the lights are dipping more here in Ahmedabad. And there is also a bit of drizzle in the air, it seems like we might go off soon.
Roston Chase has brought in the changes on the bowling front here. He has brought in Greaves and left-arm spinner Warrican into the attack. With the way Seales was bowling, would it have been a better ploy to use push Seales for a couple of overs more with this new ball? As the ball gets softer, it might be a touch difficult for him to get as much help as he is getting now. This wicket, the way it started this morning, it might get better and better for batting as the innings Indian progress today and tomorrow.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, with a tap into the leg-side, has gotten off the mark after 13 deliveries. To be fair to him, he has been stuck at the end. Seales was bowling, who had been quite disciplined with his lines and lengths, but as soon as he got the opportunity to open the account, he did. Always a nervy single, the first one. It must be said that compared to Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill, Jaiswal did have a bit of a low series. He did average 40+, but he did get through a bit of a lull in the middle of the series. He would be looking to make up for all the runs he missed out on in that series.
This has been a good start for the West Indies, especially by Seals. He seems to be a very good bowler who knows how to induce wickets in this format of the game. Although these conditions are a bit helpful for fast bowling, we are definitely not talking about a green seaming English track. There is just enough for the bowlers to work with, and Seals, with the score West Indies has put on, could have easily tried to force the wicket, but he is showing his maturity here by bowling that lovely line around the off-stump and letting the pitch do the rest. It is Layne from the other end who is bowling like a debutant, a few good ones and a few loose ones.
This is an important series for KL Rahul. Although his potential is never doubted, his average of 35 does not justify the ability he possesses. In the previous series against England, he had that breakthrough big series scoring 3 tons, which he always threatened to do, and no disrespect to the West Indies, but compared to the English bowling, this is an attack that is a tad bit weaker, and it is a home series. Rahul would be hoping to pile on runs in this series and the South African one later in the year.
Jayden Seals has started for West Indies, and he did hit the mark right away around that fourth stump channel. There is a bit of nibble for him on offer, and he is a very good exponent of swing and seam. He has had a terrific start to his Test career. All the West Indies seamers, Seals, and both the Josephs, who are unfortunately injured, are quite lethal, but as we have seen today in the first two sessions, it is their batting that needs a lot of work. Debutant Layne has taken the new ball from the other end, it will be interesting to see what he brings to the table.
Both KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal are walking into the middle. The conditions are still seaming a bit, and the West Indies with their seamers would look to exploit the conditions. However, it is not going to be an easy task for them as the Indian team has a long, long batting order.
The pitch at the Narendra Modi stadium has been a piece of intrigue ahead of the first Test. The strip which had plenty of grass cover on Tuesday, was under covers for the most of Wednesday, prompting both Shubman Gill and India’s support staff to have a long look at the conclusion of their training session. Even West Indies captain Roston Chase wanted to see how the strip will look come Thursday as Indian captain Shubman Gill revealed what to expect in terms of the pitches at home going forward. (Read more from Venkata Krishna B)
While India named three spinners to their Playing XI for the first Test at Ahmedabad, India's best bowler for the day has been Mohammed Siraj, who claimed four wickets for 40 runs. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah also picked up three wickets.
Kuldeep Yadav had a return to remember in Test cricket after picking up a wicket on just his 8th ball. He ended the innings with his second for the day while Washington Sundar also nabbed one wicket.
But vice captain Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy ended the first innings with no wickets against their names.
For West Indies, the top scorer for the day was Justin Greaves with 32 runs while experienced batters like captain Roston Chase (24 runs) and Shai Hope (26) squandered away starts.
India have managed to bundle out West Indies for 162 runs in just two sessions as an early tea has been taken.
Kuldeep picks his second wicket by sending back Warrican.
Jomel Warrican c †Jurel b Kuldeep Yadav 8 (16b 1x4 0x6 33m) SR: 50
Bumrah bowls a no ball on the first ball of his 13th over, and on the next ball, he blows two stumps of Johann Layne out of the spot in the earth. He almost looks around like he is expecting that ball to be chalked off for a freehit. But this is Test cricket, and Layne has to walk back. Second batter in a row that Bumrah sends back with a yorker.
West Indies are nine wickets down with 153 runs on board!
Johann Layne b Bumrah 1 (4b 0x4 0x6) SR: 25 | West Indies 153/9
Another wicket gone, and this is the big one, that of Justin Greaves, the West Indies's top scorer of the day with 32 runs off 48 balls. It takes a laser-guided yorker from Jasprit Bumrah to bowl him out. Greaves' eyes just went wide when he processed the quality of the delivery that had been bowled at him by Bumrah.
West Indies are 150/8 in the second innings of the day and former India cricketer Parthiv Patel's prediction after the break for lunch --- that India will be batting in the second session itself --- is just two wickets away from coming true.
Justin Greaves b Bumrah 32 (48b 4x4 0x6) SR: 66.66
Washington Sundar, who saw a catch dropped off his bowling in the previous over, has a loud appeal for LBW. The umpire gives it out. But the West Indians have appealed. But it won't hold. And the debutant Pierre has to walk.
Khary Pierre lbw b Washington Sundar 11 (34b 2x4 0x6) SR: 32.35
Justin Greaves gets a second life as he opens the face of the bat and gets an edge off a ball from Washington Sundar. But KL Rahul is not ready to pouch that! Greaves is dropped on 24 by KL Rahul
And the seventh-wicket partnership, which is now on 33-runs, continues.
On the final ball of Washington Sundar's first over, there is a loud appeal from the keeper Dhruv Jurel and Sundar for a caught behind. The umpire refuses to give it as the Indian team comes together in a huddle as Shubman Gill asks Jurel and Sundar if he should review. Gill has already nailed one review here.
But the Indian team opts not to take the review and it turns out to be the right call. The replays show that the ball hit the thigh pad not the bat when it went down the leg side. A review saved by India!
West Indies are 134/6 after 34 overs
Justin Greaves walks across and misses the line completely. The ball hits the pads, and Siraj's appeal is given by the umpire. But Greaves appeals and the third umpire finds that the ball was missing the stumps. Greaves saved by the review.
He's batting on 15 and a lot will depend on him to rescue the West Indies after they have lost six wickets for just over 100 runs on the board with experienced stars like Roston Chase and Shai Hope back in the hut
30 runs coming since the second session started. Only the wicket of Roston Chase falling in this session. Kuldeep and Siraj continuing.
Greaves playing the ball late and negotiating Kuldeep so far. He's dropping way too close to the stumps to play balls from Yadav.
West Indies lose their 6th wicket as captain Roston Chase departs for 24 runs off 43 balls. And Siraj picks up his fourth wicket with a ball that does not come in as much as the batter was expecting. Easy catch for Jurel, who's done some diving around today and impressing while filling the shoes of Rishabh Pant for this series.
Chase completely bamboozled there.
Roston Chase c †Jurel b Mohammed Siraj 24 (43b 4x4 0x6) SR: 55.81
100 up for West Indies and it comes off a wide from Siraj when he attempts his first bouncer of the day. The ball flew over the batter and the keeper's head for byes.
After Kuldeep Yadav bowls out the remaining four balls of his second over, we have Siraj, India's wrecker-in-chief today, back into the attack. He's being brought in from the other end of the ground this time.
He's claimed three wickets already in his seven over while giving away 18 runs.
Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel urges fans in Ahmedabad to come to the stadium after the lunch session. "Nov Navratri is over, garba is over. Please come to the ground to watch Shubman Gill bat," he says foreshadowing a collapse from the West Indian side, which is already five wickets down.
Right as we have the sight of Indian players walking down the steps for the second session, Parthiv predicts: "We'll have KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal bat in this session!"
But Parthiv did raise an important point: the lack of crowd at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. A few thousand people in what is the world's largest cricket stadium in the first session even though today is Dussehra day.
SHAI HOPE IS BOWLED BY KULDEEP AS WEST INDIES LOSE THEIR 5TH WICKET! And we have lunch after 23.2 overs!
Kuldeep gets his first wicket in just his 8th ball in the game today! He was reverse swept to the ropes on the final ball of his first over, and responds with a wicket in what is his comeback to the Test cricket.
Shai Hope cannot believe it! He has been the top scorer for the West Indies today, and he's back in the hut for 26 off 36 balls. Hope tried to hit the ball for a cover drive and gets an edge on the ball, which then hits the stumps.
Shai Hope b Kuldeep Yadav 26 (36b 3x4 0x6) SR: 72.22
Kuldeep Yadav is brought in from the other end for his first over of the match after Bumrah was brought back in for his seventh over from the other end.
Kuldeep rushes through his over by giving away six runs in the over.
He beats the bat of Chase on the fourth ball. Chase responds with reverse sweeping Kuldeep to the ropes on the final ball.
West Indies are 87/4 after 22 overs.
West Indies have reached 73 for the loss of four wickets after 20 overs. Chase and Hope doing well to resurrect the West Indies innings.
Roston Chase batting on 15 (28b 3x4) while Shai Hope is on 16 (23b 2x4).
BUMRAH IS BACK INTO THE ATTACK
Shubman Gill wants a little burst of action before we head to lunch!
In Shai Hope and Roston Chase, West Indies have two of the most experienced players in their Playing XI. Hope has played seven matches in India, the most for any player from this current XI, while Chase has played six Tests in India.
After slumping to 42/4, this pair holds the hopes of the West Indian fortunes in the first Test. They have negotiated a couple of quick overs from Jadeja and Reddy, with Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar waiting in the wings.
West Indies are 65/4 after 18 overs.
Siraj and Reddy bowl out two maiden overs. A couple of edges for the Indian bowlers, like Siraj getting an edge on the final ball of the 14th over!
This West Indies side is a young team that has just 8 centuries between the 11 players. The playing 11 have played just 22 Tests in India between them! SO a very inexperienced West Indies team here. All of 426 runs have been scored by them in India before this Test.
Nitish Kumar Reddy almost gets his first wicket in the first over as well after getting an edge from Roston Chase who is reaching for the ball, and the ball lands far from any fielder. That was almost the fifth wicket!
The over ends with another boundary, this time from Shai Hope, who gets off the mark.
The West Indies team cross the 50-run milestone.
WEST INDIES ARE 42/4 BARELY AN HOUR AFTER THE START OF THE FIRST TEST IN AHMEDABAD!
Mohammed Siraj takes his third wicket as he sends back Alick Athanaze for 12 runs!
This is not looking good for the West Indies side! Athanaze tried to drive the ball and it's pouched by KL Rahul on first slip!
Alick Athanaze c Rahul b Mohammed Siraj 12 (24b 2x4 0x6) SR: 50
And now Shai Hope and Roston Chase have the burden of resurrecting the West Indies innings here. And India decide to hand the ball to Nitish Kumar Reddy.
BOWLED HIM! SIRAJ SENDS BACK BRANDON KING. WEST INDIES ARE 39/3!!!
King, for some inexplicable reason, left the ball that was on the fourth stump. The ball comes back in and smashes into the middle stump! Most of the balls in that over before the wicket were balls that had jagged back in to the right-hander, so it makes no sense he left that ball!
Previously in that over, there was a loud appeal from Siraj and the slip cordon on the first ball as the ball hit the pads. But Jurel was not jumping out of his skin to appeal. So India decide not to appeal it. There is another close shout in the same over.
On the third ball, King drove the ball for a four. And then on the next ball, he had the brain fade that leaves West Indies three wickets down in the first hour of the first day of the first Test.
Never mind that the previous over has seen the West Indies lose their second wicket. Brandon King, the West Indies' first right-handed bat who comes in at no 4, walks out to the middle. And he's quick to start pouncing on bowling mistakes. He hits Siraj for back to back hits to the ropes in the 8th over.
After 8 overs, West Indies are 29/2 with Brandon King and Alick Athanaze in the middle.
Another one back in the hut as Bumrah sends back John Campbell for 8 runs. There was a lot of video watching from the third umpire as the on-field umpire gave it not out but the Indians reviewed the edge. The ball seems to have nicked the bat's edge just when the bat collided with the pads. So the third umpire keeps replaying the edge over and over and then finally gives it out! The batter did look back in guilt as the ball went to the keeper.
West Indies are 20/2 in the 7th over
John Campbell c †Jurel b Bumrah 8 (19b 2x4 0x6) SR: 42.1
Siraj with the breakthrough in the fourth over as Tagenarine Chanderpaul departs! A good catch from Dhruv Jurel while diving to his right! Chanderpaul departs without bothering the scorers after playing 11 balls.
Just one ball before the dismissal too Siraj had troubled Chanderpaul with a scramble-seamed ball which had got the edge from Chanderpaul. But the batter had escaped after loosening his bottom hand which made the ball drop much ahead of the slip cordon. Not this time!
Tagenarine Chanderpaul c †Jurel b Mohammed Siraj 0 (11b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0
On the first ball of the Bumrah over, Campbell budges the ball on the leg side and then sets off running without telling his batsman-in-crime Chanderpaul that he's going for a run. He realises that there is no run a little too late, and then turns back. The throw from Nitish Reddy cannot hit the stumps! He would have been out if that had hit! Massive reprieve.
Campbell makes up for it by hitting Bumrah for two fours, one at mid-off and then another one to square leg.
Campbell gets to his 1000 runs in Tests. And it's a sweet way to bring it up!
After three overs, WI are 12/0
Massive swing for Siraj. The first ball was just inside the wide line but swung so hard afterwards that Dhruv Jurel did well to dive to his left --- full length --- to stop the ball that was between the first and second slip!
'No real pace in this surface. Because of that little bit of moisture, the batters will have time,' notes Ravi Shastri.
'Good carry to the wicketkeeper though,' notes Sunil Gavaskar. 'Person sitting next to me would have enjoyed bowling here a little more,' he says while talking about Ian Bishop.
No runs from the second over as Siraj bowls a maiden.
After 2 overs, WI are 4/0
India and Jasprit Bumrah start off with a quiet first over. Just the one boundary off it, as the ball is a little wide and beats the pads, beats the keeper and flies to the ropes.
Some early swing here for Bumrah.
West Indies are 4/0 after one over
Three slips and a gully for Tagenarine Chanderpaul and John Campbell as India have handed the first over to Jasprit Bumrah.
In case you are wondering, yes, Tagenarine Chanderpaul is the son of the West Indian legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
In case you marvelling at players like Jasprit Bumrah playing in a Test match just three days after the Asia Cup final in the T20 format, match referee Any Pycroft is here as well as the match referee.
Remember, he was the man in the eye of the firestorm in Asia Cup after he reportedly told the Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha to not shake hands with India's Suryakumar Yadav.
It's national anthem time as both teams take the pitch. We're in for a nice pleasant day of Test cricket with slightly overcast conditions in Ahmedabad.
Here's what the Shubman Gill said at the toss: "We have got four Tests (at home) before the end of the year and we would like to win all four. Preparation has been good. Everyone is in great touch, it is about getting into the red-ball mindset. It looks like a very good surface. Not disappointed with losing the toss, it has been under covers and there might be some help early on. We have two seamers -(Jasprit) Bumrah and (Mohammed) Siraj, three spinners - Jaddu Bhai, Washington (Sundar) and Kuldeep (Yadav), and allrounder Nitish Reddy."
Washington Sundar had picked up a knock on his finger in training on Wednesday. But he seems to have recovered in time for the first Test.
Here are the playing XIs of both sides:
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
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 have won the toss and they have opted to bat first.
West Indies captain Roston Chase, while explaining the decision to bat first, says: "We are going to bat first. Looks a good one. There will be a bit of moisture, it is Test cricket and we will have to handle that first couple of hours. It is a young side, we want to come out and play some good cricket. We don't want to be batting last on this wicket as we know it will turn."
Shubman Gill, meanwhile, adds: "Not too sad about losing the toss."
In just five minutes the toss from Ahmedabad is coming up.
In the pitch report, Deep Dasgupta says: "This pitch is an excellent one. Looks like a spicy first session pitch to me. Quite a bit for seamers with overcast conditions."
"Won't be surprised to see the team that wins the toss bowling first," says Daren Ganga who adds: "This is a red soil pitch, and it will bind faster because less water is held. Even covering of grass and we've had overcast weather so there will be something in it for seamers. It will turn as we progress through the match and there will be a fierce battle between bat and ball."
Despite having a short turnaround from the Asia Cup to the start of the first Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday, the intensity at India’s net session revealed how badly and quickly they want to switch on the red-ball mode. Having completed two challenging tours of Australia and England with a huge transition taking place in between the two series, India’s next three Test assignments are at home against West Indies and South Africa (November), and Sri Lanka away next August. In terms of setting the tone for the remainder of the World Test Championship, the series against West Indies is all the more crucial for India to get back to winning ways, having gone an entire 12 months without a series win in Test cricket.
The pitch at the Narendra Modi stadium has been a piece of intrigue ahead of the first Test. The strip which had plenty of grass cover on Tuesday, was under covers for the most of Wednesday, prompting both Shubman Gill and India’s support staff to have a long look at the conclusion of their training session. Even West Indies captain Roston Chase wanted to see how the strip will look come Thursday as Indian captain Shubman Gill revealed what to expect in terms of the pitches at home going forward.
“I can’t speak about the conversations before I came, but we would be looking to play on wickets that offer something to both the batsmen and to the bowlers. But, having said that, any team that comes to India, the challenge is the spin and reverse swing. These are the two things that, if teams can play spin well and if they can challenge the reverse swing, they are going to get good success. So keeping these challenges in mind, you’d be looking to play on wickets that offer [something] to the batsmen and the bowlers,” Gill said.
At the end of a 10-minute press conference where West Indies captain Roston Chase spent most of the time listing out the profiles of his teammates, he was brutal when it came to the assessment of the outside world about his own team. “Everyone is expecting us lose,” he said. It may be true in many ways, except in the case of their opponents, India.
Twelve months back, this is what everyone thought when New Zealand arrived here for three Tests. Their captain Tom Latham had echoed on similar lines then, but went on hand India a 3-0 series loss, their worst-ever in history. This might be a different looking Indian team to the one that featured in that whitewash, but the scars hasn’t seemed to have healed at least for those who were part of that series.
Gill and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah are among the players who joined the squad here after returning from Dubai.
On whether Bumrah would be used sparingly to manage his workload, Gill said, "We are going to take a call from match-to-match basis depending on how long a Test match goes and how much overs do our fast bowlers bowl. Nothing is pre-decided.
"We are going to take a call once the Test match is over and how our fast bowlers feel and how their bodies feel after the match.” Gill said Jadeja will continue at No 6, praising the veteran all-rounder for his “tremendous” consistency in Tests.
“We always knew playing Jaddu bhai in India is always a difficult task. But the kind of form he has shown with the batting, that's the reason I think he has become our No 6 batter in Test matches,” he said.
Shubman Gill, who amassed 754 runs in five Tests against England, admitted that playing Test cricket after a stint in the shortest format is the toughest.
“When you are going from the shortest (format) to longest is probably the hardest. When you go from T20 to one-day and then Tests, it's probably easier than going from Test to T20s or T20s to Test,” he said.
“I just try to get in the zone. That zone is nothing just watching the ball well for me and to be able to decide the areas for me as a batsman, which areas am I going to defend and which areas am I going to attack.
“(It's about) just identifying those areas and then the mental side comes in (as to) how much control and how much patience does one have to be able to stick to that process,” Gill added.
(With PTI)
West Indies have not beaten India in a Test match since 2002. That's a 25-Test winess streak!
Can they break the streak in Ahmedabad?
India captain Shubman Gill said India will be looking to play “hard and grinding cricket” at home, starting with the game against West Indies in Ahmedabad.
“We are looking to play some hard grinding cricket and then over the past few years if you see, the Test matches in India don't really go (on) up to five days, so what we are really looking to do is to play some good, hard cricket,” he said.
“What people can expect from us is good hard grinding cricket and we wouldn't be looking for any easy out options and we have got the skill set to be able to play on any kind of wicket or any situation.” The skipper also acknowledged that some of the players, including him, got very little time to switch gears after a gruelling but title-winning Asia Cup T20 campaign that ended on Sunday in Dubai.
“We had a couple of days of practice before the Test match, so yes it was a quick turnaround. I was just sort of looking to work on defence and trying to get in the zone. Switching formats is more mental than it is about technique, that's what I believe in, so I was just trying to work on getting into my zone,” he said.
In a press conference on the eve of the Test series against West Indies here, Gill said the team might be tempted to field a third seamer in the series opener with the venue sporting a green-top surface amid hot and humid conditions.
"I can't really speak about what were the conversations before I came (in as captain), but yes we would be looking to play on wickets that offer (help) to both the batsmen and to the bowlers," Gill said.
"But having said that, I think any challenge for any team that comes to India, they know that the challenge is going to be spin and reverse swing. Keeping these challenges in mind, we would be looking to play on wickets that offer both to the batsmen and to the bowlers.
"You will get to know the combination tomorrow (Thursday). Given how the weather and conditions are, we are tempted to have a third seaming option but we will take a call tomorrow," he added.
(Via PTI)
For one, this is Team India's first home Test under Shubman Gill's captaincy, and their first home Test since the retirements of R Ashwin, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
In fact, the last time an Indian team did not have Ashwin, Virat or Rohit for a home game was in Nagpur 2010.
It's time for Test match cricket, just four days after the madness of T20 format at the Asia Cup where India faced Pakistan thrice, including in the final, and won all three times.
Now, Shubman Gill and Co will take on West Indies in the first Test of two. The Indians are back playing Tests after their whirlwind tour of England, which saw all 25 days of the five Tests being contested.
India vs West Indies 1st Test Preview: New Zealand whitewash hangs over India as they take on West Indies

While the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill have shown they can in the odd innings, the consistency with which Indian batsmen of the past used to take apart the spinners is not seen these days. (PTI Photo)
At the end of a 10-minute press conference where West Indies captain Roston Chase spent most of the time listing out the profiles of his teammates, he was brutal when it came to the assessment of the outside world about his own team. “Everyone is expecting us lose,” he said. It may be true in many ways, except in the case of their opponents, India. Read more from Venkata Krishna B here.
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