High-flying India will be looking to start their home season with a positive result as they will face West Indies in the first of two Test series, which will begin on Thursday in Rajkot.
The Men in Blue will be starting the match as firm favorites after their recent triumph in the Asia Cup, where they emerged victorious even without their star batsman and captain Virat Kohli.
In their previous five-day assignment, Team India suffered a thumping 4-1 defeat against England which means they will have a chance to redeem themselves in the upcoming series.
The return of Kohli, who will be eager to perform once again after having a considerable amount of rest, can prove to be a real morale booster for the team in the series.
On the other hand, West Indies will be playing their first Test match in nearly three months' time, which means a little bit of rustiness is expected.
Veteran pacer Keemar Roach has already been ruled out of the first Test, which means there will be added pressure on Shannon Gabriel to provide wickets early.
Key Players
Rishabh Pant – Value 8.5 Cr
First in the list of key players is young India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant. The 20-year-old made his debut during the Test series against England and cemented his place in the lineup with a brilliant century in the final innings of the Oval Test. It was his attacking intent which was the most impressive aspect of his batting which made him
High-flying India will be looking to start their home season with a positive result as they will face West Indies in the first of two Test series, which will begin on Thursday in Rajkot.
The Men in Blue will be starting the match as firm favorites after their recent triumph in the Asia Cup, where they emerged victorious even without their star batsman and captain Virat Kohli.
In their previous five-day assignment, Team India suffered a thumping 4-1 defeat against England which means they will have a chance to redeem themselves in the upcoming series.
The return of Kohli, who will be eager to perform once again after having a considerable amount of rest, can prove to be a real morale booster for the team in the series.
On the other hand, West Indies will be playing their first Test match in nearly three months' time, which means a little bit of rustiness is expected.
Veteran pacer Keemar Roach has already been ruled out of the first Test, which means there will be added pressure on Shannon Gabriel to provide wickets early.
Key Players
Rishabh Pant – Value 8.5 Cr
First in the list of key players is young India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant. The 20-year-old made his debut during the Test series against England and cemented his place in the lineup with a brilliant century in the final innings of the Oval Test. It was his attacking intent which was the most impressive aspect of his batting which made him stood out even in difficult conditions. Against such a weak bowling lineup on the home soil, Pant at the value of 8.5 Cr might prove to be an ideal pick.
Ravindra Jadeja – Value 8.5 Cr
Second in the list of key players is veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. The 29-year-old seemed to have lost his place in the Indian team with the arrival of Hardik Pandya, who emerged as the number one choice for an all-rounder in the playing eleven. But the Chennai Super Kings star showed he still has a lot to offer to the national team and justified his selection by back-to-back impressive performances for Team India. Jadeja was included in the team for the final Test of the England tour where he claimed five-for in the first innings and scored a brilliant 90 with the bat. In the 50-over format, he was called in to replace injured Pandya during the Asia Cup, where he ended up claiming seven wickets in just four outings and also played some important knocks for the team. At the value of 8.5 Cr, Jadeja is the kind of player who has all the credentials to be the real star in your team.
Virat Kohli – Value 11 Cr
Last in the list features India captain Kohli, who will be making return to international cricket after nearly a month-long break. During his last assignment in the five-day format which was the five-Test series against England, Kohli finished with 593 runs at an average of 59.30 – 244 runs more than any other batsman managed to achieve during the series. Even though Kohli is understandably expensive and valued at 11 Cr, but he brings the much-needed consistency to your team.
