Daijiworld Media Network - Sports

Antigua, Jul 21: St.John's, Antigua. Here is where the action will begin. For Anil Kumble, this venue brings out mixed memories. Having been struck on the jaw by a ferocious Mervyn Dillon bouncer, the wily leg-spinner returned later to scalp Brian Lara, in one of the most poignant moments of the game. That was at the Antigua Recreation ground and it was way back in 2002. Cut to 2016, the action shifts across to Sir Viv Richards Stadium, things have changed a lot in the interim, West Indies cricket has been on a persistent downslide, the heydays of Sir Viv Richards & Co. dominating the opposition, just remaining as a vivid memory. Kumble has graduated from a bowler to a captain and now returns as the coach. He has a one-year tenure, short by any stretch, but enough time to leave a footprint on this young Indian squad. Anil had been a fighter to the core during his playing days, if he has managed to instill the same into this Indian team - then that's job half done, going into a crucial season.

December 7th, 2015, was the last time when team India appeared in whites, it was also a historic day as Virat Kohli's men beat Hashim Amla's South Africa by 337 runs to clinch the four-Test series by a 3-0 margin. 227 days later, after a surfeit of white-ball cricket, India are back in whites, the slam and bang variety of cricket will be traded for a game of patience. India begin a season which has them playing 13 Tests at home, at the end of which they can very well be at the top of the ICC charts, or languishing somewhere amongst the bottom. It's a big season for Virat Kohli, it's a bigger test of skills for new coach, Anil Kumble. It all begins at the Caribbean Islands, as India embark on a four-Test tour of the West Indies. Hello, and a warm welcome to Day 1 of the first Test between India and West Indies.

India have won the toss and have opted to bat.

Virat Kohli: 'We will bat first. Looks like a hard surface, some even covering of grass, it's a nicely binded surface. We will look to put the runs on the board. We are very well prepared, it's going to be a long season for us, we are all looking forward to it. We can take confidence from the last two series here, they are a quality team and can surprise anyone, need to play with intensity. We are playing five batsmen, two spinners, Ravi Ashwin and Amit Mishra in, Jadeja misses out.'

Jason Holder: 'Not too disappointed at bowling first, the pitch might be a bit tacky early on and should assist our bowlers. It's a young team and will look to gain some positives. Roston Chase will be making his debut, he will bat at six. We are playing six batsmen and four bowlers'.

Teams:

West Indies (Playing XI): Kraigg Brathwaite, Rajendra Chandrika, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Jermaine Blackwood, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich(w), Carlos Brathwaite, Jason Holder(c), Devendra Bishoo, Shannon Gabriel

India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav

India have kept faith in Shikhar Dhawan, leaving KL Rahul to warm the benches. Kohli is a big proponent of playing five bowlers and that leaves both Stuart Binny and Ravindra Jadeja in with a chance. With Ishant Sharma, Ravi Ashwin and Mohammad Shami, all certainities to start, who are the others to miss the bus? Toss and team details in a while..

West Indies are coming on the back of a fairly decent conditioning camp and have named a 13-man squad for the first Test. Recently retired pacer, Jerome Taylor, has been replaced by 25-year old Miguel Cummins - who is expected to make his Test debut today. They have another debutant in Roston Chase, a stylish right-handed batsman. He might have to wait for his turn though, with the middle-order looking pretty settled. Shane Dowrich, who last played a Test in 2015, is a certainty though, having replaced Denesh Ramdin with the gloves.

It's not just about the Indians though. The West Indies have had a great year - winning the World T20 trophy (both men's and women's), the U-19 World Cup and they showed reasonable form in the recently concluded Tri-Nation tournament (also featuring Australia and South Africa, reaching the final of the event. Entrusted with guiding West Indies' fortunes in the longer format of the game, Jason Holder, has steadied the muddied waters, but it's time for him to take his team to the next level. Like Kumble, Phil Simmons, West Indies' coach, wants his team to be patient - a mantra to win matches on the slow surfaces expected over the next few weeks. Can Holder restore West Indies' pride? We will have the answers shortly.

Preview by Vishaal Loganathan

India have played a total of 45 Tests against the West Indies in the Caribbean, but they have never been able to win two Tests in a row, or for that matter, even two in a series. More than 63 years after they made the first tour to the Caribbean, where they played five Tests and lost the series 0-1, India are in prime position to now bury that record and set a new one.

The four-Test series, which starts at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Thursday (July 21), pits Virat Kohli's side against a young, raw West Indies side. Barring Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo, two of West Indies' batting mainstays in the middle order, the rest of the side aggregate less than a hundred Tests. A lack of experience that West Indies captain Jason Holder is aware could hurt the side.

'Experience goes a long way. I remember starting my One-Day International career and having the likes of Darren Sammy, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Marlon Samuels ... who have all played a significant amount of cricket for the West Indies. In this side we have only got Marlon, who has played a few Test matches, Darren Bravo is probably the next highest capped West Indies Test player. Having said that, I think we just need to stick together as a side. We have to live as a family and help one another as best as we possibly can. That's the only way we can move down the road from here. We don't have the luxury of that much experience in the squad,' he said, a day before the inaugural Test.

India have a young squad, too, bear in mind. But the experience and exposure to the biggest stage stands out. Under a fresh, aggressive captaincy of Virat Kohli, and the disciplined, intense and detailed guidance of Anil Kumble, India are heading to a new turn. The series takes immense significance, and it's not only because of how the Kumble-Kohli partnership will turn out. India are due to play 13 more Tests at home after this four-Test series and a good start could go a long way in ensuring the team sets sights on the right goals.

Only four players in the Indian squad are over 30. There is youthful exuberance aplenty but there is also the counter-weight with calm in the form of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Mohammed Shami.

For Virat Kohli, it will be a special occasion to return to the Caribbean where he made his Test debut six years back. He made 76 runs at an average of 15.2 - a record that he will quickly want to put right.

It will be another chance for a fresh start for the West Indies, who will come into the series as big underdogs. Hopefully, they can use the tag to their advantage and surprise everyone who expects them to be walloped (tag yesterday's piece).

When: West Indies vs India, 1st Test - July 21-25, 10:00 LOCAL (19:30 IST)
Where: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua
What to expect: Even though the pitch has a touch of green, it is still expected to play on the slower side. It's also the hurricane season in Antigua, and the match is certain to be affected more than once.

Team News:

India: Squashing reports that he prefers to play KL Rahul ahead of Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order, Virat Kohli almost made it certain at the press conference that the left-hander will be given the chance to play alongside Murali Vijay. On the bowling front, Kohli said, with the pitch likely to play low, it would be better for them to play bowlers who are accustomed to a stump-to-stump line. This could be hinting at the inclusion of Ravindra Jadeja and Stuart Binny. Jadeja has the superb knack of knowing where to bowl, and hitting the spot consistently, a trait that will work perfectly with Kohli's plans for the game. Binny, too, can be expected to do a similar job. The other three bowling options, Ishant Sharma, R Ashwin and Mohammed Shami are shoo-ins.

West Indies: Fast bowler Miguel Cummins will be in line for his Test debut, taking his slot alongside the only other out-and-out pacer in the side, Shannon Gabriel. Rajendra Chandrika should open alongside Kraigg Brathwaite, while Roston Chase has an outside chance of taking the number five slot in the batting order. Leon Johnson and Jermaine Blackwood will also be fighting for the spot in the batting order.

Did you know:

- Virat Kohli will be the 12th captain to lead India in West Indies. India have had a different captain each time they toured the West Indies.

- The last time West Indies defeated India was way back in May 2002 in Kingston. In the 15 Tests since, India have won eight while the remaining seven ended as draws. India remain the only team West Indies haven't beaten in Tests in the last 13 years.

- R Ashwin averages 56.58 with the ball in nine Tests outside the sub-continent in comparison to 20.47 in India. He has 34 wickets against West Indies at 20.47 from five Tests.

- Murali Vijay has scored 72 runs from six innings in West Indies with a highest score of 45. He was dismissed on five occasions by Ravi Rampaul.

- Darren Bravo needs 12 more runs to become the 24th West Indian and third from Trinidad & Tobago after Brian Lara (11912 runs) and Larry Gomes (3171) to reach the milestone of 3000 runs in Tests.

- Marlon Samuels averages 25.88 in Tests since January 2013. It is the second lowest for a player in this period with a minimum of 30 innings in the top seven, after Lahiru Thirimanne (25.74).

Quotes:

Jason Holder: You know that's the ultimate aim (to start doing well in Tests). We've got a young side, and it's good to see we have some young faces. We're looking to build something. In the last series we played in Australia, we didn't start really well. Moving on into the Test series, we got significantly better. All I stress and address with the guys is to keep improving. You can't expect leaps and bounds, too much from a very young side. Once we get the steady progression in terms of improvement, I think we'll move forward.

Virat Kohli: Basically, that's been the main motive of the team, that we go with horses for courses. We see the conditions and the way the pitch is going to behave, (and then) we pick the best eleven, especially the bowling department. We specialise in choosing people according to the way the wicket is going to behave, maybe on the third and fourth day as well. So you need to keep everything in consideration and yeah it's always a good thing to have a lot of options because you pick the best side according to the conditions we are playing in.