India vs West Indies 2nd Test: Preview and Predictions

Cricket

India vs West Indies: Indian team thrashed the West Indies by an inning and 141 runs in Dominica last week, the Indian team got the new World Test Championship cycle off to a great start. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ishan Kishan, two debutants for the team, played in the first Test. The former gave a standout performance, scoring a century in his very first innings in the longest format and smashing 171 runs. While everything was going well, Ravichandran Ashwin dominated with the ball, collecting 12 wickets in the entire game, including five in each of the two innings.

The second Test India vs West Indies will take place on 20th July 2023 at Queen’s Park Oval.

Match Details to Note

Match: India vs West Indies 2nd Test

Date: July 20, 2023 (Thursday)

Time: 7:30 PM IST

Venue: Queen’s Park Oval

India vs West Indies

India (Match Odds- 1.30)

Preview

The second and final Test of the two-match series, which begins on July 20, will feature Team India under the leadership of Rohit Sharma taking on West Indies. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s first-ever test century and R Ashwin’s two five-wicket hauls helped the visitors defeat the home team by an inning and 141 runs in the series opener. In the Test series, the Men in Blue are ahead 1-0.

Full Squad:

Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli & Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan & KS Bharat, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja & Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar & Navdeep Saini

Players to watch out for:

Virat Kohli

In the last match, he scored 76 runs with a run rate of 41.76. Virat has an average of 35 runs against the West Indies and he is definitely increasing that record. Indian fans might witness a firey performance from Virat in the Caribbean.

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin is India’s most reliable bowler in Test format. He always shows up when the team needs him. In the last match, he took 12 wickets which includes 5 in each innings. He is the most deadly bowler in the tournament and will be the player to watch out for.

Possible Playing XI:

Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli & Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin & Shardul Thakur, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat & Mohammed Siraj

West Indies (Match Odds- 16.75)

Preview

The West Indies cricket team has been losing ground for a while, but now and again they put up matches that give fans reason for faith. Kraigg Brathwaite and his side will need to do something remarkable to threaten India, though. Unfortunately, Rakheem Cornwall will be unable to play in this game due to an injury, which could force Kevin Sinclair or Shannon Gabriel to step in. Alzarri Joseph will lead the bowling assault, and if the conditions favor fast bowlers or provide extra bounce, he might pose a serious threat.

Full Squad

Kraigg Brathwaite (C), Jermaine Blackwood (VC), Joshua Da Silva (WK), Alick Athanaze, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Jomel Warrican.

Players to watch out for:

Kraigg Brathwaite

In recent years, the West Indian Test captain has been leading his squad in batting. Since making his Test debut against Pakistan in 2011, the opener has amassed over 5,000 runs. During this period, he also recorded 12 centuries and 28 fifties. Brathwaite will be a difficult wicket to take despite his disappointing performances in the previous South Africa series. He is known for his patience at the crease.

Kemar Roach

Kemar Roach is already regarded as a legend among the current breed of West Indian athletes given his over 260 Test wickets since making his debut in 2009 against Bangladesh. He took 13 wickets in his first two Test matches, giving him a solid start, but his subsequent career has been stop-start. Despite being 35 years old and possibly past his prime, he still leads the bowling attack and had a five-for performance in the first Test match against South Africa in March.

Possible Playing XI:

Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Raymond Reifer, Jermaine Blackwood, Kirk McKenzie, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Rahkeem Cornwall, Jason Holder, Jomel Warrican, Alzarri Joseph & Kemar Roac

India vs West Indies Head to Head

West Indies is ahead of India in the head-to-head stats, the record is 30-23. Though West Indies is looking stronger according to the stats they have not won a single test since 2002.

India vs West Indies Toss Prediction

The team that wins the toss might choose to bat first and score high runs in the first Innings. The field favors the bowlers more than the batsmen. West Indies followed the plan in the last match but failed to score big runs.

India vs West Indies Pitch Report

The Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, will host the game. The guests will want to win to end the series. The home team, on the other hand, will be desperate to prevent a whitewash. However, the Caribbean team may find it difficult because Trinidad is likely to have difficult batting conditions.

India vs West Indies Match Prediction

It has been rumored that a livelier surface may be created for the pitch in Port of Spain for this match. To reduce the impact of the Indian spinners, the groundskeeper can purposefully leave some grass on the surface. The pitch’s fundamental characteristics, however, suggest that it will flatten out by Day 2 and eventually provide spin-friendly conditions by Day 4, regardless of external influences. We expect India to win the game and Indian spinners to play well.

India is predicted to win the game with an odds of 1.30.