Team India made a strong start to their next World Test Championship cycle with a massive win over the West Indies in the first game in Dominica. The visitors thrashed the hosts by an innings and 141 days within three days.
That win helped Rohit Sharma and his team take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal won the “Man of the Match” award for his debut century. He ended up scoring the third-highest debut score for India and making 171 runs.
Rohit also slammed his tenth test ton and scored 103 runs, while Virat Kohli scored 76 runs for the visitors. With the ball, it was veteran Indian performer Ravi Ashwin who registered one of the best match figures by a visiting bowler in the West Indies. Ashwin picked up 12/131 in the game.
Both teams will play the final game in Port of Spain, which will begin on Thursday (July 20). The Men in Blue will look to win it and register a clean sweep. The hosts revealed their 13-member squad a couple of days ago, while the Indian captain gave a hint about their playing XI for the second game.
After registering a one-sided win in the first game, there were speculations that India might give rest to some of their seniors. However, Rohit indicates that there will not be “drastic” changes in the team.
He said, “In Dominica, we had a clear idea when we saw the pitch and knew the conditions. Here we don’t have clarity as there is talk of rain, but I don’t think there will be drastic changes. But whatever conditions are available, based on that, we will make that decision.”
The batting order is likely to remain the same, while a few changes are expected in the pace bowling department. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will retain their places. Navdeep Saini or Mukesh Kumar might get a chance, while Axar Patel can also make the cut.
Rohit added, “Transition has to happen, whether today or tomorrow. We rely on those individuals and obviously they are the future of Indian cricket and they will take Indian cricket to greater heights.”
