On Thursday, it was Ajinkya Rahane who anchored India’s fightback after the hosts West Indies put the visitors in a spot of bother in the first Test of the two-match series.
Rahane came out in the middle when India was reeling at 25/3, but his steady 81 put the Indian innings on road to recovery.
Rishabh Pant (20*) and Ravindra Jadeja (3*) will resume batting for India, who have an overnight score of 203/6, on the morning of Day 2 in Antigua.
That will be all from Day 1 of the 1st Test with Pant & Jadeja at the crease. Join us tomorrow morning for Day 2 #TeamIndia #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/xbiadkzhDb
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 22, 2019
Earlier, Indian captain, Virat Kohli threw a massive surprise to fans when he revealed that off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has not been included in the playing XI for the Antigua Test.
India, instead, opted for Ravindra Jadeja in his pace, along with four fast bowlers. The selection drew criticism from cricket fraternity with many suggesting that India made a blunder in picking the final XI.
But speaking to reporters after the day’s play, vice-captain Rahane explained why the decision was made to drop out Ashwin.
“It’s difficult when you miss a player like Ashwin but team management is always thinking as to what is the best combination. They thought Jadeja was a good option on this wicket as we needed a sixth batsman, who can actually bowl. Vihari can actually bowl on this track. So that was the communication between captain and coach,” the Mumbaikar said.
“It is hard to find players like Ashwin and Rohit (Sharma) sit out but’s all for the team,” Rahane he added.
