On the eve of the opening Test against West Indies, Team India captain Rohit Sharma 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.
India's likely playing XI for 1st Test vs West Indies: India: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat/Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj
Rohit-led India is gearing up for a full-throttle bilateral series against the West Indies. The Indian side arrived in the Caribbean a few days ago and trained rigorously for the first Test of the tour, scheduled to begin on July 12 (Wednesday). India and West Indies will lock horns in the first of two Test series in Dominica. It's now time for Rohit Sharma & Co. to put their practice to work and secure a positive result.
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