First Test: West Indies win by tossing, electing to bat first against India; Jaiswal and Kishan make their first appearance

ROSSO (Dominica), July 12 (IANS) West Indies captain Craig Brathwaite has won the toss and elected to bat first against India in the first Test of the two-match series at Windsor Park, here on Wednesday.

Left-handed batsmen Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ishan Kishan are making their debuts for India. While Jaiswal will open the batting alongside India captain Rohit Sharma, Kishan will bat in the middle order and be the wicket-keeper too.

For the West Indies, left fielder and hometown boy Alec Athanaz makes his Test debut.

“The surface is generally dry, but there is dampness in the first hour. We had a ten-day camp in Antigua. (Brian) Lara (performance instructor) was there, and that was good for our young batters. We’ve seen ourselves in good positions in the last two WTC sessions. “What we need is consistency and coherence. I want the boys to be positive,” Brathwaite said of the draw.

With the two-match Test series India and the West Indies starting the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship tournament cycle.

“It’s still a tournament final two years from now. We’ve played some consistent cricket that’s why we’ve played two finals. That’s something we can move on from. Lots of new players in the squad, so hopefully we’ll get a good perspective from the last couple of tournaments. It won’t be This course is different.

Asked about his preparations for the Caribbean tour, Rohit said, “We started with Barbados, and played a practice match there. We had a good preparation here even though the rain played the sport a bit spoiler.”

Speaking about his message to arrivals Jaiswal and Kishan, the Indian captain said, “I just want them to have fun. They will have nerves but it is our responsibility to make sure they enjoy it. These guys have potential and I hope we can give them all the comfort and happiness they need on earth.”

Playing XIs:

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ajinkia Rahan, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan (wicket keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jaidev Onadkat, Mohamed Siraj

West Indies: Craig Brathwaite (captain), Taginaren Chanderpaul, Raymond River, Jermaine Blackwood, Alec Athanaz, Joshua da Silva (wicket keeper), Jason Holder, Rakim Cornwall, Alzari Joseph, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warikan

– Jans

is / ak