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Journalism of Courage
India thrashed West Indies in the first Test in Dominica. The difference in the quality of the sides and the skills of the individuals were visible in that game. However, West Indies have been competitive in home conditions in red-ball cricket recently and would like to turn things around going into the second Test at Port Of Spain in Trinidad.
The surface for the first Test was tailor-made for the Indian spinners. Hence, this time West Indies would be hoping for a bit more pace on the surface and conditions conducive for their stroke makers in the second Test. In the first encounter, their pace bowlers hardly came into the game, and with Rakheem Cornwall’s absence in the first innings, the bowling seemed severely hamstrung. The hosts would be hoping for better conditions this time around.
India has ticked all the boxes in the opening Test. Yashasvi Jaiswal, on debut, played a marathon knock. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli got among the runs as well. With the ball, seamers did not have to do much in the game, but they did look threatening whenever they were given the ball. Spinners R Ashwin and R Jadeja ran through the fragile West Indies batting order twice in the game. Ashwin ended up with 12 wickets in the contest.
Navdeep Saini into the side
The seamer can clock 145 KPH regularly and came into the Indian side on the back of a reputation with piles of wickets from domestic cricket. However, injuries and a lack of control over lines and lengths have curtailed his career thus far. With the team transitioning and looking to build a pace attack for the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, Saini might get a look in and make the most of his opportunity.
Mukesh Kumar to make his debut
The Bengal seamer has been with the squad for a while now, and he might get an opportunity in Trinidad. Bowling consistent lines and lengths, hitting the same areas for long spells, and keeping batters on their toes are one of the strengths of Mukesh Kumar. Indian bowling coach Paras Mhambrey also heaped praises on the seamer in the last game.
Gabriel to get a game?
Shannon Gabriel is likely to feature in the Windies playing eleven. The hosts’ bowling attack looked toothless in the first Test. Adding Gabriel’s pace into the attack might give another dimension to their bowling arsenal. Gabriel can also hit the 140 KPH mark regularly and has a lot of experience with the red ball. Gabriel and Kemar Roach with the new Dukes ball might be a challenging prospect for the Indian opening combination.
Predicted XI
India: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan, R Ashwin, Navdeep Saini, Mukesh Kumar, Mohammad Siraj
West IndiesKraigg Brathwaite, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Jermaine Blackwood, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Rahkeem Cornwall, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel
Squads:
India Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Srikar Bharat, Axar Patel, Navdeep Saini, Mukesh Kumar
West Indies Squad: Kraigg Brathwaite(c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Jermaine Blackwood, Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva(w), Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Rahkeem Cornwall, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican, Shannon Gabriel, Kirk McKenzie, Kevin Sinclair
Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.
