WI vs IND | West Indies' Predicted XI for first Test against India

08/22/2019

After suffering a whitewash in the T20I series and losing the ODI series 2-0 against the Men in Blue, West Indies will be eager to return to winning ways. The lineup will be looking forward to forget the disastrous performances in the white-ball formats and record their first victory of the tour.

Openers

Kraigg Brathwaite: A proven option for the opening spot for the Carribean nation, the 26-year-old has been experiencing some form of a slump recently. He has failed to score big in the past few series, having not even recorded a half-century in the team’s last Test series against England. With over 50 caps and nearly 3,500 runs to his name in Tests, he will be looking to emulate his form of 2016 and get back to his best.

Sharmarh Brooks: The 30-year-old has had to wait for long to break into the national team and is yet to receive his Test cap, having sat out all the three games against England even though he was included in the squad. However, with good showings in domestic cricket and John Campbell somewhat underwhelming against England, the first Test might finally see him make his debut.

Middle-order

Shai Hope: The player has so far failed to live up to his promise in red-ball cricket and for the large part of his 29 matches he has underperformed. Yet, the raw talent that the 26-year-old possesses makes him a must have in the squad and even though he was named West Indies’ Test Cricketer of the Year, he will be trying to show the world how much more he has in his locker.

Darren Bravo: On his day, much like his brother Dwayne, Darren bravo is a match-winner and hard to stop once he gets going. With an average of nearly 40 from over 50 caps in the format, he has had a good run internationally and is one of the team’s most senior players. However, he also had a dismal performance against England scoring less than 70 runs from five innings and will be searching for opportunities to get back in form.

Shimron Hetmyer: Though a newcomer into the side, the youngster has been performing right from the word go. He showed glimpses of his potential in England when he scored a gritty 81 and so far has five half-centuries to his name in the 13 matches he has played so far. He has been getting starts in every innings bar the rare exception but the time has come for him to convert those starts into big scores.

Shane Dowrich: It has taken the Windies years but it looks like they have finally found a wicket-keeper in Test cricket who they can rely on with both bat and behind the stumps. The 27-year-old's feats in the series against England were nothing short of remarkable, rescuing his team from a deep hole many a time. It was capped off by his unbeaten century at Bridgetown, and the Windies would love to see Dowrich repeat his heroics come Thursday.

All-rounders

Roston Chase: The form that he has been in over the past few months, the 27-year old is undoubtedly the team’s most important player at the moment. A handful with both the bat and the ball, his contributions were crucial in driving his team to a 2-1 series victory in England and had also been one of the team’s star performers when they had toured India in 2016. The team will be looking up to him to perform if they are to have a chance of recording a series victory.

Rahkeem Cornwall: Another uncapped player, he was recently named by his cricketing board as the Championship Player of the Year after astounding performances in the domestic four-day competition. He ended as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, picking up as many as 54 scalps in just nine appearances, while also contributing with important cameos in the lower-middle order. With chances that a spinning track might be on play for the first game, Cornwall is likely to finally receive his Test cap.

Jason Holder: Having become the first player from the Carribean to claim the ICC Test All-rounders throne earlier this year since Sir Gary Sobers achieved the feat 45 years ago, Jason Holder is on a roll and only yesterday was named the West Indies Cricketer of the Year in the red-ball format. He has scored nearly 600 runs and picked 40 wickets in the eight Test matches this year and the skipper will need to continue his good form to come away with something positive from the series.

Bowlers

Shannon Gabriel: A standout performer in the format last year on the international level, the 31-year-old already has 126 wickets to his name and has been more or less consistent throughout his career. He had an average series against England but his ability to seam the ball both ways is a key weapon that can prove to be highly effective for him against the Indian batting lineup.

Kemar Roach: Having made his debut as long back as 10 years ago, the 31 year old quick has shown no signs of stopping as was evident in the series against England. He went rampant, picking up 18 wickets in three matches and was adjudged as the man of the series for the same. The squad’s highest wicket taker with 184, the team will be looking up to him to the perform the role of a strike bowler.