Team India are set to return to action following their loss in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final against Australia in June at the Oval, London. They will aim to begin the new WTC cycle on a winning note during the two match Test series against the West Indies.
India and West Indies will resume their Test rivalry with the first Test commencing on July 12 at Dominica. All eyes will be on the Indian players who faced heavy criticism after their lack lustrous performance in the second edition of WTC final. Key players such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and others struggled as Australia secured a convincing 209-run victory.
Preparations for the upcoming two-match Test series against West Indies began with an intra-squad practice match. The Indian cricketers arrived in the Caribbean islands nine days before the first Test, providing them with an ideal opportunity to test their skills in match-like conditions in Barbados.
During the practice match, Team India captain Rohit opened the batting alongside youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal, and both batter scored unbeaten fifties before retiring out. Rohit and Jaiswal displayed excellent form and remained at the crease throughout the first session.
In the post-lunch session, Kohli came to the crease alongside Shubman Gill. However, Kohli’s innings was cut short by Jaydev Unadkat, who dismissed him early on. The 34-year-old initially appeared comfortable against Unadkat’s variations, but he faltered when Unadkat changed the angle and approached from around the wicket. A delivery around the fourth stump enticed the veteran batter into a push with indecisive footwork, resulting in an outside edge comfortably taken by the slip fielder.
Here’s the video:
Virat kohli is dismissed to unadkat in the practice match. pic.twitter.com/GNGKzrRpyd
— MOHIT SHUKLA (@MohitShukla1030) July 5, 2023
Kohli’s Test form has been below par in recent years, with 1,239 runs in 23 Tests over the last three years, averaging 31.76. He has recorded six half-centuries and a solitary hundred during this period, with the ton scored against Australia in March earlier this year in the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2023. The Indian stalwart will be eager to regain his consistent scoring form in Test cricket, his preferred format, during the upcoming series against West Indies.
The bilateral series kicks off on July 12 at Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica after which both teams travel to Port of Spain, Trinidad on July 20 to conclude the Test matches. The Test series will be followed by ODIs and T20Is. India and West Indies will play three ODIs and five T20Is against each other. BCCI announced the T20I squad for the Windies tour on Wednesday (July 5) night. Rohit and Virat have not been included in the side as Hardik Pandya has been made the captain.
