West Indies vs India, 1st Test, North Sound: Preview, predictions, likely XIs

West Indies and India will clash in the first Test in North Sound on Thursday, 22 August, and given it’s their respective first assignment in the World Test Championship, each side will know there are a total of 120 massive points up for grabs in the series.

That is expected to be incentive enough. This is the purpose of the WTC, to lend context to these previously meaningless bilateral Tests. Virat Kohli, the India captain, believes also that it will only serve to make things tougher for batsmen. He expects WTC to make matches more competent, with draws becoming less of a possibility. “There will hardly be any boring draws, there will be exciting draws, because everyone will want those extra points,” he said.

India have tuned up well to their first assignment of the WTC – they have won both the T20Is and the ODIs in the lead-up to the Test championship. They will welcome back Test specialists, like Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and R Ashwin, and with the latter two in particular needing to do particularly well to impress. Kohli will also have his own reasons for continuing in his run-scoring ways, with Australia’s Steve Smith closing the gap to him at the top of the batsmen’s rankings.

West Indies, meanwhile, will look to put behind a poor display in the limited-overs series. They have generally impressed in Tests at home – England can attest to that, given they were outplayed earlier this year – and India will by no means take them lightly. It should be a fine series, especially if the home side’s punt on Rahkeem Cornwall, the all-rounder, bears fruit – he has been impressive in first-class cricket, and has been knocking on Test doors for a long time.

Head to head

India and West Indies have clashed in 96 Tests over the years. There have been a staggering 46 draws in those matches. India have won 20, and West Indies, back in their glory days, won most of their 30 victories. However, in the last five years, India have won four of their six matches, and haven’t suffered defeat.

Key players

Jason Holder (West Indies): Jason Holder was recently declared the Men’s Test Player of the Year in the annual Cricket West Indies awards. Since January 2018, he has scored 565 runs at 51.36 and picked up 40 wickets at 13.35. He will imperative for his side in their quest to upset the top-ranked Test team.

Virat Kohli (India): India will once rely on their captain to set the standards in the Caribbean. After a lean patch during the World Cup, he returned to century-making ways in this series, and the signs are ominous for the West Indies bowlers if he can keep up this form.

Likely XIs

West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Shai Hope (wk), Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder (c), Rahkeem Cornwall, Keemo Paul, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel.

India: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (ck), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah

Prediction

India to ease to their WTC points haul.