The Indian cricket team, led by captain Rohit Sharma, is preparing to face the West Indies in the first Test of their two-match series commencing on July 12. The opening Test will be held at the historic Windsor Park in Dominica, a venue where India has not played since 2011. Interestingly, India’s current head coach, Rahul Dravid, was part of the Test squad during the team’s previous visit to Windsor Park.
Meanwhile, former India opener Wasim Jaffer has revealed his preferred playing XI for the upcoming contest. Jaffer’s lineup, which he released on his official Twitter handle, notably excludes wicket-keeper KS Bharat, instead opting to include Ishan Kishan in the squad. Bharat was a member of India’s squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia in June, but his batting performance fell short as India suffered a 209-run defeat in the final.
On the other hand, Kishan, who is yet to make his Test debut, has found a spot in Jaffer’s playing XI. Jaffer’s chosen openers for the first Test are Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, with Shubman Gill being pushed to the number three position. Jaffer also named Jaydev Unadkat and Mukesh Kumar in India’s playing XI for the opening Test.
It is worth noting that India’s captain, Rohit has already confirmed that Jaiswal will open the batting in the series, and Gill will take on the crucial number three position, a role previously occupied by Cheteshwar Pujara. When it comes to the spin combination, the Mumbaikar went with the experienced duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Wasim Jaffer’s India XI for the first Test: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar.
