IND vs WI, 1st Test: Conditions, combinations hog limelight ahead of India vs West Indies series opener

Overcast and humid conditions welcomed India as it reached the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday morning, ahead of the first Test against the West Indies.

While the batters hit the nets, Jasprit Bumrah had a look at the surface, which appeared much greener than usual, before taking his run-up. Having missed out on the optional training session a day before, Bumrah had some conversations with bowling coach Morne Morkel and the groundsmen in between his spells. Before heading back to the pavilion, the pace ace once again walked up to the pitch to have a closer look.

It certainly won’t be an easy selection call for the team management.

On a red-soil surface, teams usually opt for a spin-heavy line-up as the pitch tends to crumble with time. But with the overcast conditions likely to persist over the next couple of days, the team management, as admitted by captain Shubman Gill, could be tempted to field a third seamer. That could open the doors for either Nitish Reddy or Prasidh Krishna, along with Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

This also indicates that the team management is moving on from its preference for rank-turners and is looking to prepare more ‘lively’ wickets. In recent years, India has opted for spin-friendly pitches more often than not during home series.

However, last year, this ploy boomeranged as India suffered a humiliating 0-3 defeat against New Zealand. And taking lessons from the debacle, there’s a change in plan.

Coming on the back of a commendable performance against England, where the fast bowlers ensured that India came from behind to draw the series, the team, as suggested by the captain, is looking to play ‘some hard, grinding cricket’ and not take easy routes.

The terrific show at Old Blighty put India in the third spot of the World Test Championship table, and against a depleted West Indies, which is reeling at the eighth spot, the home team would be hoping to add as many points as possible.

The batting line-up looks sorted, with K.L. Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal opening the innings. While Rahul had a memorable run in Lucknow during the unofficial Test, where he scored a match-winning 176 against Australia A, Jaiswal has had a long break since the England series.

With the national selectors looking beyond Karun Nair, B. Sai Sudharsan is set to have a clear run at the coveted No.3 spot, whereas skipper Gill, who had a mixed campaign in the Asia Cup, will come in at No.4, a position that he cemented during the England tour and eventually went on to score 754 runs across five Tests.

The presence of four all-rounders in the squad – Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and Nitish – comes as a huge boost and gives the management a scope to experiment with the combinations.

While India has all its bases covered, the West Indies comes into the Test with a spate of injuries and hopes of a miracle. The squad has already been dealt a blow with two of its key fast bowlers — Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph — ruled out due to injuries.

However, the West Indies captain Roston Chase is hoping against hope. While the right-arm spinner would hope to extract something out of the surface, the touring side will have to ensure that its batting unit rises to the occasion.

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The West Indies left out the seasoned Kraigg Brathwaite and recalled Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Alick Athanaze for the tour. But then, it will be a challenge for both batters to face a star-studded Indian bowling unit. While the focus will be on the seasoned Shai Hope, the West Indies lacks depth in batting.

In its last Test outing, against Australia in June-July, the team’s overall performance across the series was dismal, with the nadir coming when it was bundled out for just 27 runs in the second innings of the final Test in Kingston.

But as a confident Chase claimed that they would play freely with the hope of beating India, it’s time for his team to walk the talk.

Match starts at 9.30am IST

Published on Oct 01, 2025