Venue: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua
It was a few days ago that, during their preparation for this contest, photos of the Indian team meeting the West Indian great Sir Viv Richards surfaced on Twitter. Some were shared by the BCCI’s official Twitter account, while others were posted by the players themselves.
On Thursday, a ground named after this legend of the game is where India and the West Indies will begin the first match of a four-Test series. The stadium is at North Sound, Antigua, a place that sounds more befitting of an alternative, denim-heavy clothing line or a rock music festival. Richards was one of cricket’s rockstars in his playing days, however, so perhaps the name is more appropriate than it first seems.
There remain countless selection dilemmas for both sides. A question mark hangs over the West Indies’ middle order and the exact composition of their bowling attack, while the larger, more overarching decision of whether to select four bowlers or five remains unmade for India.
So happy to meet sir Vivian Richards @vivrichards56 and discuss cricket. Memorable day for me. #legend pic.twitter.com/tHi6TvvEtz
— ajinkyarahane88 (@ajinkyarahane88) July 19, 2016
Perhaps it is unnecessarily cruel and more than a touch arrogant, but depressingly not a long way off from reality, to claim that India’s selection of four or five bowlers depends on whether their plan is to defeat the West Indies by the might of their batting or bowling.
BIG PICTURE
Both teams have played a combined total of one Test match in 2016. That was the West Indies’ draw against Australia at Sydney. While this would ordinarily suggest both teams would be engaged in a battle to determine which of them is less out of match practice, the two tour games played at Basseterre, St Kitts may prove to be of more benefit to India than meets the eye.
It gave the Indians a chance to play together as a unit for the first time under their new coach Anil Kumble, and several of those who featured against the Board President’s XI can be expected to play against the full West Indies side at North Sound. This is a gelling experience the West Indies have not been afforded, as only a few of the Board President’s XI would make the final team for the Test match.
It may not seem like much, but when the participants in a sporting contest are equally shorn of Test cricket, the benefits of each practice match are magnified hugely.
The West Indies have grappled with issues of form and consistency of performance, but their team selection is fairly straightforward. This, despite the fact that number four Marlon Samuels has struggled badly in Test cricket of late.
Decisions on the exact nature of the bowlers selected also have to be taken – the home side have only two specialist fast bowlers and one specialist spinner in the squad – and the retirement of Jerome Taylor from Test cricket and the exclusion of Kemar Roach from the side has not helped. The attack is quite raw and their inexperience may be shown up.
For India, doubts hang over the places of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma in the side for reasons of performance. Other exclusions, mostly of bowlers like Ravindra Jadeja or Umesh Yadav, would be for tactical reasons.
VENUE
The Test match is set to be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. It is a fairly new ground (opened in 2007) and has hosted only four Test matches. The old Antigua Recreation Ground at St John’s was a quite draw-tastic venue – 12 of the 22 Tests played there were drawn – and the new venue seems to be following in its footsteps: only one Test match has produced a result so far.
The ground has been the subject of controversy in the past, owing to the poor state of its pitch and outfield. It does not, however, differ too greatly from the old ground at Antigua. This means conditions in the first Test are likely to be slow, plodding and unresponsive. Some covering of grass is also expected to be present. Getting a result may prove problematic and the Test match is likely to transform into a war of attrition.
Barring a self-manufactured collapse, there is enough on the pitch for both sides’ batting to prosper. The opening in this Test match might just come from an individual error.
WATCH OUT FOR
CARLOS BRATHWAITE: The Barbadian all-rounder who will forever be remembered for his last-over dismantling of Ben Stokes in the World T20 final, Brathwaite celebrated his 28th birthday on July 18. Victory over India would constitute the ideal present for him and Brathwaite may well gift it to himself.
His debut in Test cricket only came on the tour to Australia, where he played the second and third Tests. In these, his performances were at least promising, if not outright impressive. Though the now-two-Test veteran managed only one wicket, he slammed two aggressive fifties against the Australians to restore some dignity to the West Indian batting.
His form in his last outing for the West Indies – an ODI tri-series against Australia and South Africa at home – suffered, however. In 7 innings, he managed only 86 runs and claimed 9 wickets at an economy of 5.36 and a strike rate of 38.6.
The hope, though, remains, and Brathwaite is equally adept with both bat and ball. He has the temperament for Test cricket and will be key for the West Indies in this series. All-rounders illuminate a cricket ground with their constant involvement in proceedings and can effect any number and manner of game-changing moments. The Windies are expectant.
VIRAT KOHLI: The captain is always a cause for great excitement in any touring party in a foreign land. Kohli, however, often takes that excitement up to eleven. This is his second tour as full Test skipper and his first outside Asia. There is pressure on him to deliver both as a batsman and as a captain, as India find themselves in the slightly awkward position of favourites.
Being a top-dog brings completely different expectations with it, and it is perhaps not outlandish to claim that Kohli is the first Indian skipper in history to deal with this kind of psychological challenge. Perhaps his attitude is part of the reason: his predecessor’s über-cool approach seemed to convert every Test into a contest of evens, while Kohli simply believes that every match can be won.
His batting has slipped a little bit since taking the reins, but some gritty application on slow West Indian pitches could see Kohli’s talent converted into big scores. After all, the last time India played a series outside the subcontinent, Kohli finished with four hundreds in the Test matches.
TEAMS
West Indies
To optimise the conditions, the West Indies can bat up to number eight if required, and the lack of out-and-out specialist bowlers in the squad might be a blessing in disguise.
The most dangerous thing on a dreary pitch is to fall into the trap of being predictable, as the Indian batsmen can become difficult to dislodge when they hit their stride – though none of them are classically patient and defensive players and, crucially, could be provoked into rash decisions – and captain Holder could rotate his variety of bowling options frequently to keep the visitors on their toes.
Kraigg Brathwaite, Rajendra Chandrika, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Jermaine Blackwood, Leon Johnson/Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich (wk), Carlos Brathwaite, Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel/Miguel Cummins, Devendra Bishoo
India
A few questions over selection for India have their own easy answers. From the last Test series against South Africa, none of the proposed changes are desperate gambles or Hail Marys – all floated replacements have Test experience and now it is time to give them their chance.
A slow pitch at North Sound could see the inclusion of as many as three spinners in the side for tactical reasons.
Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra/Stuart Binny, Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma
