India in West Indies

First test starts in Antigua and Ind has had as good practice as they get these days

dunno exactly what antigua pitch will be like.....in genral WI pithces are slow, and aiding spin these days....

India has two decisions to make

1) Who is the 2nd opener.....given that Vijay is first?

Form and technique would make KL Rahul the front runner and gets my

2) Who is the 5th bowler....it's certain Ind will go with 5 bowlers

Ishant
Yaadav
Mishra
Ashwin are a given


the 5th is likey to be Jadeja ( who goot some runs) and wickets also....and frontrunner...unless pitch is green and seaming

and Binny if it is Green and seaming

although India shhould have brought Pandya in place of Binny


likely 11
1) Vijay
2) Rahul
3) Pujara
4) Kohli
5) Rahane
6) Saha
7) Binny/ Jadeja
8) Mishra
9) Ashwin
10) Ishant
11) Yadav

Batting isn't very solid....but they bat all the way down to No.9

Dhawan seems to be a Kohli favorite and so likely to keep his place. I would go in with Rahul though.
Will Rohit Sharma play ahead of the 5th bowler? Jadeja and Ashwin are likely to be the 2 spinners in that case.
Not sure Yadav is nailed on for a starting side position, Shami is fit and is back in the side and played both practice games without doing anything dramatic, but then none of the seamers did great in the practice games.
Willl they go in with all the 3 of them? And play Jadeja as the all-rounder at 7?

With Anil Kumble as the head coach, one can hope to have less rash selection calls.......

Hope they don't even think of Binny! The guy isn't test class with bat, and calling him a bowler at this level is a joke!

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is 100 times the bowler that Binny at his best ever can be, and he's not a bad bet with the bat either.

For West Indies, Jerome Taylor has retired from test cricket. Would Gabriel be the only frontline seamer with support from all-rounders Carlos Brathwaite and Jason Holder?
Who would open with Kraigg Brathwaite? Rajendra Chandrika as a test opener was the biggest cricketing joke of 2015!

Mishra is certain...after his overseas success in Lanka

Jadeja is a certainty only on home crumblers.......here he is competing for a slot with binny and a front runner unless in an unlikely case the pitch is seam friendly.

I think Rahul will play ahead of Dhawan

During the South Africa series, Mishra was the 3rd spinner....... When they went in with 2 spinners, it was Jadeja who played along with Ashwin. And considering Saha is a limited batsman, Jadeja's runs might give him an edge over Mishra, and in the South Africa series, Jadeja's runs were also important in more than 1 game.

I hope Rahul does play ahead of Dhawan, but I don't think so, at least for the first test.
And KPF, do you foresee the management continuing with their futile efforts of turning Rohit Sharma into a test player even in this series as well?

nope Rohit will drop out of contention....Karun Nair and Shreyas Iyer are next in the queue

Indications from Indian camp are that they are likely to go in with 5 bowling options. Shami seems to be ahead of Umesh in the pecking order of seamers and is likely to partner Ishant. Ashwin, Jadeja and Mishra are likely to play, and there is also the rather concerning consideration of Ashwin, Jadeja and Binny....... Binny ahead of Mishra adds to the batting a bit, but then India wouldn't be playing with 5 bowlers or 6 batsmen.
Rahul and Dhawan both are in the mix for selection at the top, and I just hope they take the right call on Rahul.

Binny will be ahead of Jadeja
Mishra and ashwin the first choice spinners and actually Mishra is India's number one spinner outside of India in my view based on what I saw of him in lanka

Binni looks a much better bat than Jadeja though effectively he would be just ahead in terms of output.
But Jadeja is a proper bowler. Binny's bowling is not even worth talking about. And in the field too, Jadeja is country miles ahead of Roger's son.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-india-2016/content/story/1037063.html

Kohli's interview gives hints

Dhawan to open
shami as 2nd seamer
and so the toss up is between Jadeja and Binny......and that would depend on the pitch

I said so! Dhawan is a Kohli favorite....... Hope the Delhi teammate won't let the Indian captain down.

India win the toss and bat ffirst. They are going in with 5 bowlers, Ashin, Mishra in charge of spin, Ishant, Shami and Umesh in charge of the seam bowling department. And it indeed is Dhwan over Rahul at the top with Saha coming in at 6 and taking the gloves.

Batsman Roston Chase makes his debut for the WI, and wicketkeeper Shane Dorich comes in for Denesh Ramdin has an impressive FC record with the bat. With C Brathwaite and Holder batting at 8 and 9, their batting has depth though anot a lot of quality.Rajendra Chandrika, with a terrible FC reconrd and oor showing in Australia, continue to be picked as opener.......

Some pace from Gabriel and a few good leaves from Murali Vijay to finish the first over.

msp83 wrote:I said so! Dhawan is a Kohli favorite....... Hope the Delhi teammate won't let the Indian captain down.

these days favorites are more measured by IPL team...and  Rahul plays for Bangalore in IPL...and was handpicked / favored by Kohli into an IPL opener cum WK role.

Dhawan is in....because Kohli explained " on these type of (patta) pitches Dhawan  can set up the game with his brisk scoring"

India doing double bluff and playing a 3rd genuine seamer.....batting looks flaky......Saha, Ashwin and Mishra are one or possibly two positions higher at #s 6,7,8 respectively

Good that they won the toss....and hope they do not collapse in what smacks of over confident / over aggressive team selection

Dhawan under the pump from Gabriel, and he is not looking comfortable at all against the pacy short balls.

With Holder and Carlos Brathwaite both in, WI should and could have gone in with another proper bowler. Their bowling looks rather weak.......

Vijay done in by Gabriel's short ball. He was looking quite comfortable unlike his partner, but gone now. Big, big wicket for the WI.

--the outfield being so slow because of thick lush grass it seems and nearly 50 percent deliveries being short / bouncers...has contributed to the slow RR

--pitch has bounce....but WI has overdone the short stuff
India RR picks up a bit in the last 20 minutes before lunch....as Dhawan has found his rhythm a bit.

--again looking at the team composition..atleast the 3rd seamer should have been Bhuvi......would have given some more  batting strength.

--good to see Jadeja in commentary box...always seemed an astute observer....and refreshing
seems the days of cliched shastri, Gavaskar and Bhogle are over

Having gone in with Saha at 6 and Ashwin at 7, it was all the more important for the batting unit to apply themselves. The West Indies bowling, Gabriel apart, wasn't doing anything special, but didn't give away easy scoring opportunities. And Dhawan and Pujara did not try forcing the issue too much either. So a slow first session, but the important thing for India is that they managed to overcome the massive early loss of Vijay.
Roston Chase bowling a lot of overs in the first session, ahead of the frontline spinner Devendra Bishoo was a bit of a surprise, though Chase did not bowl badly as such.

And yes KPF, Jadeja sounded refreshing in the commentary box. But Sunny G is very much around, and now that he's unemployed, the Cliché King would certainly come back sooner rather than later! And Harsha, I actually miss. He's not the solid commentator of old any more, but is any day better and interesting than Gavaskar or Shastri

Bishoo finally on, right after lunch. And he gets Pujara in his first over!

Pujara giving it away, the ball was there to be smashed, but Pujara didn't execute his shot well at all and rather than smashing it out of the ground, he lobbed it to the fielder. Poor batting.......

Pujara has flawed technique defends with a closed face of bat....just a bit across the line
and then he goes into a shell for too long

Yeah gavasakr is around and sounding sensible

Must say Carlos Brathwaite has bowled quite well. He is not express pace and doesn't swing it either, but he has stuck to a very good line and length and used the short ball well. He has used it as a surprise tool, just to keep the batsman honest........ Bowled well within his limitations.

good 50....he is finding gaps quite easily.....carrying his wordcup t20 and IPL form into this test kohli

100 partnership at 4RPO....Kohli looking in "zone"..finding gaps impeccably drining on the rise

Hundred partnership between Kohli and Dhawan, and it has come in good time. Dhawan into the 80s.......

West Indies having too many holding bowlers. Bishoo can be a strike bowler, but won't be able to perform that role on this day one track. Holder and Brathwaite both are more of the holding type, and the latter has done his job particularly well, but they do lack a good strike bowler. Gabriel with his pace can be one, but he hasn't got much more than pace, and there is no other strike bowler to really challenge the batsman and ask questions upfront.

Dhawan goes at the stroke as Bishoo ends the session the way he started it!

WI just the one wicket away from the Indian lower order. Saha is a decent number 8 who can at a pinch bat 7, and Ashwin a fine number 9 who can be a very handy number 8. But they both are batting far too high in this lineup. Unless Kohli and Rahane can build another partnership, there could be some serious trouble for India.

Rahane in at 5 and starts with a couple of easy offerings. Then he edges one that falls short of the fielder and goes away for 4.
Holder for ones, attacking right away, with Gabriel on.......

well inspite of good hands from Kohli and Dhawan...India could still collapse for 300ish
one of Kohli, Rahane needs to bat almost to the end and all of Saha, Ashwin, Mishra have to get useful 30s and 40s and Shami, Yadav, Ishant 10 -15 each

330 would be fighting total...based on what i saw of Indian bowling in Lanka....and 400 would be a super score

ironically within the last one year India's test match strength seemed to have turned bowling....with batting just about scrambling useful totals

The pitch doesn't seem to be offering much to the bowlers, so Mishra and Ashwin will be key, will have to do their stuff in the air than of the pitch....... With 3 seamers in, they should go flat out........
And yes, KPF, think they need at least 330. Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo are 2 good batsmen for the WI, and if the good version of Marlon Samuels turns up, then with their batting depth, West Indies can really challenge India with anything less on the board.......

India has 3 pacers...two of them touching 90mph with their fastest and 3rd crossing 90 often and shade under 95mph at his fastest¨
alll capable of reversing

and two top class spinners... even in overseas conditions

Mishra will be the pick of Indian bowling....i have a feeling and ashwin may open the bowling

and Indian bowling now bowls too take wickets......intent is to go for kill.....with this bowling we need 300+ totals on pitches with some assistance to bowlers
and this pitch has bounce.....that will assist both spinners and seamers

kohli's chance less, masterly hundred

that it came against WI should not befool those not watching...

he has proverbially toyed with the bowling.....finding gaps at will

the pitch has bounce...whihc is what has got Bishoo the 3 wickets...inspite of his inconsistency...every now and then batsmen are sucked into false stroke

even a 2 bit part-timer like......Chase when he flights and lands it on a length out side the off....the WK collects under the chest....there will be help for mishra and ashwin I am sure

Top hundred from Kohli. It is not the quality of the attack that is the talking point here, the kind of intent and the kind of control that he has had that has to be taken note of. Also good move to promote Ashwin, I believe he has it in him to be a better bat than Saha can be. Batting in the top 6 calls for a batsman's mentality. To maximize Ashwin's out, think it is a good effort to play Ashwin as a proper all-rounder in foreign conditions. Kohli had talked about it earlier, during the Sri Lanka series. By asking Ashwin to bat 6, the captain is sending a clear message.
And his Delhi teammate Shikhar Dhawan didn't let his captain down either, weather the early struggles and putting together a significant score.......

I think ashwin coming out ahead of Saha was tactical

to hold Saha until the second new ball comes

if my read is correct....we will see Ashwin / Mishra sent ahead of Saha if there are many overs to the new ball

Saha doesn't seem to be technically to be particularly good against the new ball. Not sure the new ball has much to do with it. Think Ashwin has a better batting technique in comparison to Saha, and Kohli in the past has also hinted that he expects Ashwin to be the all-rounder the team needs in away conditions. It is a big call, but the captain has now backed his words with action....... And for this game at least, Ashwin has emphatically justified his captain's confidence in him.
Unless India can find a wicketkeeper who is a decent enough batsman too, think it is not a bad move to keep Ashwin ahead of Saha. Saha is a mediocre batsman, though he seems to have a good temperament and good fighting spirit....... But that can take him only so far when the ability is lacking.......

Jason Holder gave up long back, the parttimer Chase and the parttime parttimer Kraigg Brathwaite in a long bowling partnership! Holding out for India to declare, is Holder.

Saha goes, stumped of Kraigg Brathwaite's parttime offspin. But Ashwin from the other end would be glad to see the bounce and turn on that one. Amit Mishra can certainly bat, but there is nothing much beyond that.

Kohli 200, ashwin getting close to a 100......he should have been the VC ahead of Rahane

the only good thing about Saha's dismissal....IT TURNED....between the bat and pad...and it's a good bounce pitch

Ashwin has had a bit of a hold up in the 90s, but he gets through the period and brings up his 3rd test ton!

100 for ashwin and 500 for India

The Indians should now go after the bowling a bit and declare around tea if they are not bowled out by then. Despite a bit of bounce and a few balls turning, this pitch is basically flat and they would need lots of time to take 20 wickets.