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India’s new Test era set to kick-off in Dominica

article_imageTACTICAL PREVIEW
Last updated on 11 Jul 2023 | 03:13 PM
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India’s new Test era set to kick-off in Dominica

It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life, but are India feeling good?

Cricket is nothing short of a carnival in the Caribbean. Every second person walking on the streets casually chat cricket, and the bars are often filled with cricketing talks about the glorious ol’ West Indian days. 

But now is the time for the fans to stand up and Rally, rally round the West Indies. West Indies, who once dominated world cricket, especially the longest format of the sport, are now considered mere pushovers. There isn’t anymore that kind of respect or fear that is associated when teams travel to the Caribbean, it is now just a carnival. 

India’s team selections in the recent past are nothing short of a fitting parade to the carnival. Players have exited and entered without a pertinent reason, and the Kohli-Rahane-Rohit generation is slowly fading into the dark as the last bit of shadow is left in the day. Still, there exists an expectation, an expectation that has the ability to ruin someone’s entire world. 

India starts fresh, at least partly, at least somewhere. The inclusion of Mukesh Kumar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jaydev Unadkat and Ishan Kishan signals a new start, but the returning Ajinkya Rahane is where the dividing line stands. 

Windsor Park is the perfect curtain raiser for the series and possibly for India’s Test future health. 

Things to watch out for

Mukesh Kumar, one for the future?

Mukesh Kumar might be new in the scheme of things, but his body of work can’t be ignored. Since Ishant Sharma’s exit from the playing XI, India have often suffered control in the pace unit. In the 39 First-Class fixtures that he has played, the right-arm seamer has picked up 149 wickets, averaging 21.55 whilst being one of the vital cogs of Bengal’s bowling unit. 

Not only has the right-arm seamer modelled his action on Australia’s Josh Hazlewood, but there is also this ability for Mukesh to emulate Hazlewood in terms of providing control for the Indian team. Even for India A, the right-arm pacer has picked up 18 wickets, averaging 17.5. He isn’t alien to perform in tough conditions, and with the pitches in the Caribbean supporting pace bowling, there is a strong chance that he could debut. 

With no Shami, the debate now for India is who gets the nod between the two - Jaydev Unadkat or Mukesh. But if India gets past their obsession with Shardul Thakur, both Unadkat and Mukesh could feature in the XI alongside Siraj. 

Rahkeem Cornwall returns, could he change anything?

One of the shocking selections for the West Indies during the Australia series was that of Roston Chase. Chase has had his time, being one of the go-to-player for the Men in Maroon but picking him as the lead off-spinner in the playing XI was, let’s say -  a stretch. Given how West Indies learnt it in the worst possible manner, they have gone back to Rahkeem Cornwall

Cornwall has played over 80 First-Class fixtures in his career but has never clicked - with an average of 22.74 and just one hundred. Even since 2020, his numbers aren’t the most impressive - with four 50s and five ducks. With the ball, though, there are numbers that suggest why his selection might be a Dark Horse pick. 

In the 24 First-Class games since 2020, the off-spinner has picked up 116 wickets, averaging 24. Not just that, the off-spinner has picked up eight five-wicket hauls to go with the nine four-wicket hauls. His bowling has made the selectors consider him for a spot in the playing XI. 

India’s new-look batting vs Windies’ proven pacers

It is no secret that India’s batting has a new look - with the addition of Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jaiswal hasn’t played many red-ball games at No.3, but his prowess in the limited game time is such that he’s automatically earned himself the bragging right for that No.3 spot. 

In the two matches he’s batted at No.3, the southpaw scored 377 runs, averaging a high 125.67. But that’s not the only reason he’s been picked in the squad, his aggressive batting style and approach at the crease has been eye-catching, with a strike rate of 82.3. However, against them are the Windies. 

Windies have the fourth-best average for a pace unit, only behind Australia, South Africa and England, averaging 28.9. India’s batting against pace - an average of 29.4 - is the fifth-worst in Test cricket in the last WTC cycle. So, guess that’s where the big challenge for India lies. 

Ground Details, Pitch and Conditions

Windsor Park hasn’t been a regular venue at the highest level, especially in the red-ball format. Only five Tests have been played at the venue, and the first was against India in 2011. West Indies have just won the one Test at the venue, against Zimbabwe, in 2013, and later on, they have been thoroughly beaten by the visitors. 

In eight innings since 2015, the average first-innings total is 262. While in 2015, Australia won by nine wickets, in 2017, Pakistan registered a win by 101 runs. 40 wickets have been picked up by pacers, accounting for 58.0 % of the wickets. The spinners, though, have picked up only 29 wickets. 

Tactical Nous

India should aim to bounce Brathwaite out

Since 2020, Kraigg Brathwaite is West Indies’ top run-scorer, with 1853 runs, averaging 38.6 and scoring four hundreds. But there’s a pertinent weakness for the Windies opener - that’s the delivery on good length or the short delivery. 

Brathwaite has been dismissed 29 times when pitched short, and that’s something that the Indian bowlers can target - particularly Mohammed Siraj. 

Is there a point in playing Ishan Kishan?

Rishabh Pant’s void was quite evident during India’s home series against Australia and later in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. That is exactly where Ishan Kishan walks into the setup. A left-hander, a dynamic one at that and a wicketkeeper. Even at the first-class level, the left-hander averages 38.76, with a strike-rate of 68.90. 

The southpaw has smashed six centuries, and 16 half-centuries. One of the concerns were his wicketkeeper abilities, and KS Bharat was considered over him due to that. But given Bharat has failed with the bat, India could well and truly feature another left-hander - Kishan. 

Probable XIs

India: Rohit Sharma ( c ), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan/KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mukesh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Jaydev Unadkat

West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite ( c ), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Raymon Reifer, Jermaine Blackwood, Alick Athanaze, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Jomel Worrican

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