The West Indies put in a frankly abject display in the first Test getting ripped apart by the tourists. India will be wary of a fightback in this two-Test series which could cost them dearly in the WTC.
West Indies vs India | Second Test | Wednesday 20 July – Sunday 24 July 2023 | Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain
West Indies 12/1 | Draw 16/5 | India 32/100
Batting failures left the West Indies in the lurch in the first Test, but their bowling also didn’t turn up.
The first Test was a blink, and you’ll miss it affair, although Alick Athanaze made a decent debut amidst the failures of the senior batters.
The Windies bowling attack has a cobbled-together feel at the moment and isn’t operating as unit, making it hard for them to keep India under pressure.
Skipper Kraigg Brathwaite and No 4 Jermaine Blackwood need to be the men to step up in the West Indies batting.
Yashasvi Jaiswal had a rip-roaring debut for India in the first Test, top-scoring with 171 in one of the great first knocks in the ultimate format.
Everything India seemed to try in that opening Test came off, and they will be brimming with confidence heading to Port-of-Spain.
The opening partnership between skipper Rohit Sharma and the rookie Jaiswal looks like an incredibly promising one.
Meanwhile, India still have one of the best bowling units in the world despite being ravaged by injury.
Verdict: India
It is India all the way, and this one is unlikely to make it to Sunday.
