
PITCH AND CONDITIONS
Hot, a little humid but mostly sunny, the conditions in Antigua should be perfect for this test match, with temperatures up to 29 degrees Celsius every day.
Never short of controversy, the wicket at North Sound was rated below average last time West Indies played a toss here – uneven bounce being the factor cited. It has faced problems before and could be difficult to bat on again.
WEST INDIES
- Giant off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall could be in line for a Test debut after taking 197 wickets in the domestic four-day competition over the past five seasons.
- He replaces Jomel Warrican in the squad from the those selected to beat England earlier this year.
- The only other player missing from that series is injured, Alzarri Joseph. Despite hinting he would like to play, Chris Gayle has been overlooked.
- West Indies ended their test-match losing streak with a shock 2-1 win against England earlier this year.
- Jason Holder hit a double-century as they won the first test by 381 runs, having bowled the tourists out for 77 in the first innings. In the second test, Kemar Roach took eight wickets and West Indies won by ten wickets.
- They did lose their most recent match, however – a 232-run defeat in the dead rubber third game.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI OF WEST INDIES
INDIA
- Wriddhiman Saha could return as the wicket-keeper for this leg of the tour as he competes with Rishabh Pant behind the stumps.
- Jasprit Bumrah returns to the squad after being rested for the limited-overs matches, meanwhile.
- Ravichandran Ashwin, Cheteshwar Pujara and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane are among the other test specialists to have linked up with their countrymen for IND vs WI 2019 matches.
- India beat West Indies 2-0 at home in October to bounce back from defeat to England and continued their winning return with a 2-1 victory against Australia across the turn of the year.
- Their most recent test match was a draw, however – Cheteshwar Pujara (193) and Rishabh Pant (159*) led them to 622/7 declared against the hosts.
- Kuldeep Yadav took 5-99 to restrict Australia to 300 but the follow-on only lasted four overs after the final day was washed out.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI OF INDIA
Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkywa Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah
TEAM FORM IN LAST 5 TEST MATCHES | IND VS WI – 1ST TEST IN INDIA TOUR OF WEST INDIES 2019
- West Indies Won: L,L,W,W,L
- India Won: W,W,L,W,D
OUR FANTASY LEAGUE PICKS FOR INDIA VS WEST INDIES 1ST TEST IN INDIA TOUR OF WEST INDIES 2019 ARE MENTIONED BELOW:
- Virat Kohli (C)
- Jason Holder (VC)
- Rishabh Pant
- Kemar Roach
- Cheteshwar Pujara
- Roston Chase
- Mohammed Shami
- Darren Bravo
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Mayank Agarwal
Click here to find out the Match Prediction.
*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.*