The Indian cricket team is embarking on a month-long tour of the Caribbean, where they will compete against the West Indies in two Test matches, three ODIs, and five T20Is. This tour marks their return to the field after a month-long break following their disappointing performance in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Considering the busy international schedule of Indian players, as well as their involvement in the IPL, such a long break is uncommon. Nevertheless, with a new WTC cycle about to begin, the team is eager to get back to action.
The Indian team has made a couple of significant changes for this tour. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad have received their maiden call-ups, while veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara and pacer Umesh Yadav have been dropped. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) seems to be entering a transition period, gradually phasing out senior players. However, the most surprising decision is the re-election of Ajinkya Rahane as the vice-captain. Rahane, who performed exceptionally well in the WTC final, has been given this responsibility again, as Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Jasprit Bumrah are unavailable.
On the other hand, the West Indies team is dealing with their own issues. They suffered a 2-0 defeat against South Africa in their last Test series and have faced challenges in recent tournaments like failing to qualify for the Super 12 in the T20 World Cup and missing out on the ODI World Cup. Playing against and defeating India will serve as a strong motivating factor for the West Indies to improve their performance in the upcoming cycle.
India vs West Indies Test Series Schedule
1st Test – July 12-16 at Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica
2nd Test – July 20-24 at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad
India vs West Indies Test Squads
West Indies (for first Test): Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Jermaine Blackwood (Vice Captain), Alick Athanaze, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kirk McKenzie, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini
India vs West Indies Live Streaming and Telecast
The Test matches between India and the West Indies will commence at 7:30 PM IST. The series will be broadcasted live on Doordarshan (DD) Sports channel, but it will be available only on Free cable networks and not on DTH platforms. Alternatively, viewers can stream the series live on the JioCinema and Fancode apps as well as their respective websites. Thus, these two apps provide the option to watch the series live online.