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After the horror of the World Test Championship (WTC) final, which Team India ended up losing against champions Australia, a new assignment beckons Rohit Sharma & Co. In what will mark the start of a fresh WTC cycle, India will cross swords against West Indies in a two-match Test series. The opening match of the series is scheduled to begin on July 12. Ahead of the game, all eyes will be on the weather in Dominica as there is a significant chance of rain.
Weather report
Rain and thunderstorms are likely to play a role on the opening day of the Test match. During the day, 51% chance of precipitation lingers over Dominica while heavy winds are expected to accompany showers. In the last few days, Dominica has seen rain consistently. Thus, a stop-start opening day in Dominica is on the cards. The temperature is expected to be between 27 to 30 degrees Celsius.
India's likely playing XI
On the eve of the opening Test, the Indian skipper confirmed that Yashasvi Jaiswal will make his Test debut and open the innings. Shubman Gill will take the No.3 position in the batting order. With Rohit, Yashasvi and Shubman occupying the top 3 spots in the batting order, veteran batters Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane will form the backbone of India's middle-order.
For the wicket-keeper's spot, it's a coin flip between KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan. Bharat has already played for India and was part of India's playing XI for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. There is a chance that the Indian thinktank might give a chance to Kishan for the opening Test match. If that happens, then the visitors are likely to have to have two debutants in the opening match of the series.
Rohit also revealed what will be India's bowling combination for the Dominica Test. The Hitman confirmed that his team will go in with a three-pacer-two-spinner combination. In that case, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin are the automatic two choices.
In the fast bowling department, India have a pool of five players to choose from. Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur are almost certain to be a part of the playing XI. For the third pacer, it will be a battle between Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar. Left-arm seamer Unadkat is slightly ahead of the other two pacers in the pecking order.
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