India cricket team is now ready to play good cricket after playing two warm-up/tour matches both against West Indies Cricket Board President’s XI. In the first 2 day match, as usual, Indians won the toss and chose to bat first and scored 258 runs with fall of six wickets in 93 overs and WI CBP XI scored 281 runs in 87 overs with the loss of seven wickets.
In a second match which was a 3-day match, WI CBP XI won the toss and chose to bat first and scored 180 runs in 62.5 overs all out. R Ashwin and RA Jadeja took three wickets each of them. Indians scored 364 runs in their first innings in 105.4 overs all out. WI CBP XI scored 233 runs in 86 overs with the fall of six wickets.
Now West Indies is hosting CPL 2016 and West Indies mostly big players are not included in the international squad. India team have a great strength of batsmen this time they can bat till eleventh number wicket of their team.
There was some grass on the surface, but it seemed dry underneath on the eve of the match. Kohli felt that the grass was only to hold the pitch together, and it would behave like an Indian track. The ball might not bounce much, with conditions favoring the batsmen initially.
There have been brief, sharp showers on the days leading up to the Test, and more rain is forecast for days three and four. It’s hurricane season all over the Caribbean, but Antigua is usually one of the drier islands.
India goes in with a much more settled team; seven months since they last played a Test in a different continent. Nobody will bat an eyelid if they retain the XI. Kohli admitted it was a difficult choice to pick one out of Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul, although he hinted Dhawan might retain his place.
With the pitch expected to be flat, India is likely to continue with five bowlers, but the decision will be whether that fifth bowler should be a spinner, a pure seamer or an allrounder. Kohli has been known to prefer Stuart Binny in the role outside India. Mohammed Shami, who has taken the new ball on each of the three occasions that India have bowled in the warm-ups, should walk right back into the XI after injury kept him out for most of 2015.
West Indies will have one new opener, a new wicketkeeper, a new pace attack, and a new spinner from the last time they played a Test. Five men from their last Test XI are not even in this 13-man squad. Expect a debut for Miguel Cummins, Rajendra Chandrika to open alongside Kraigg Brathwaite, and Devendra Bishoo and Shannon Gabriel to make comebacks.
West Indies team
KC Brathwaite, R Chandrika, DM Bravo, MN Samuels, J Blackwood, RL Chase, SO Dowrich†, CR Brathwaite, JO Holder*, D Bishoo, ST Gabriel.
India team
M Vijay, S Dhawan, CA Pujara, V Kohli*, AM Rahane, WP Saha†, R Ashwin, A Mishra, I Sharma, Mohammed Shami, UT Yadav.
Watch Online India tour of West Indies 2016, 1st Test Day 1 Cricket Match Free HD Highlights Today WI v Ind at North Sound, Thursday, July 21st, 2016.
Who won the toss between Ind v WI 21 July 2016: India won the toss and elected to bat
Match Timings: 10:00 local time (14:00 GMT)
Test no. 2207 | 2016 season
Played at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua
21,22,23,24,25 July (5-day match)
Umpires – Aleem Dar and IJ Gould
TV umpire – GO Brathwaite
Match referee – RS Madugalle
Reserve umpire – N Duguid
Both team previous performances
West Indies DLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WWDWW
Pitch and weather report
