India kicked-off their World Test Championship campaign with an emphatic victory over West Indies in the opening match of the two-match Test series. The visitors won the contest by 318 runs and created a new record of winning a Test match by the highest run margin on foreign soil. Heading into the final Test, the Virat Kohli-led side would look to repeat their performance and complete a whitewash over a struggling Windies unit. After mauling the opponent in the previous contest, it is presumed that the Virat Kohli-side is unlikely to make any change in their playing XI. Thus, it will be another opportunity for Rishabh Pant to pay back the faith shown in him by the captain and the team management. Pant managed 24 and 7 in both the innings but it is not the runs and the manner of his dismissals that is causing frustration. His sequence of scores across formats during this current tour has been 0, 4, 65 not out, 20, 0, 24, 7. READ | Keemo Paul replaces Miguel Cummins for Jamaica Test With veteran Wriddhiman Saha back in the dressing room, Pant would be on his toes to retain his place in the playing XI. Pant's shot selection, especially his slog sweep, has held him back from scoring runs and except for an unbeaten half-century against Windies in the T20 series, he has done very less with the bat. Mayank Agarwal, who has just played three matches, also was not amongst the runs in the first Test as he fell cheaply in both the innings. However, the Indian opener is likely to get another chance, which he rightfully deserves having worked hard in Australia. The bowlers giving it a go at the nets before the 2nd Test against West Indies in Jamaica ???? #TeamIndia #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/K42OxLgQY2— BCCI (@BCCI) August 28, 2019 The Indian middle-order seemed in solid touch with Ajinkya Rahane scoring his first century after 33 innings. After missing out on a ton by 19 runs in the first innings, the Indian vice-captain made sure nothing comes between him and his hundred in the next. Hanuma Vihari also justified his selection with a 93 in the second innings, meaning that Rohit Sharma's wait to make the side could just get a bit longer. The Indian pace battery spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah was flawless, as he along with Ishant Sharma picked 14 wickets, exposing Windies technical frailties and the pair will be gunning for more in the second game. Even Mohammed Shami was very effective in short bursts while Ravindra Jadeja proved his utility as an all-rounder. The hosts, on the other side, will be yearning for a victory after going down in the limited-overs format. They would also hope for a batting resurgence from talented youngsters like Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope as none of the batsman scored a half-century in the opening match. The only saving grace for them was the new ball pair of Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach, who bowled their hearts out without much support from others. The pitch at the Sabina Park in Jamaica has been on the slower side in recent times. The pitch, which once boasted of being among the hardest surface in the Caribbean, now tends to favor the slow bowlers and tweakers. The batsmen also struggle as the pitch lacks speed and bounce. -with PTI inputs
