Preview: Most boxes ticked in Antigua, focus on India’s openers as Kohli and Co eye series win

• Intrigue about Virat Kohli’s selection pre-match: check.
• Astonishment over Virat Kohli’s selection after toss: check.
• A top-order collapse: check.
• A middle / lower-order rearguard: check.
• A superb bowling performance, led by the pace trio: check.
• Winning start to the World Test Championship: check.

In many ways, India ticked off most boxes in their opening win of the World Test Championship in Antigua. A 318-run win is impressive even by the high standards set by Virat Kohli’s No 1 ranked Test side and how abject the West Indies batting was.

India are runaway favourites going into the second and final match at Sabina Park against a team that looked a shadow of the side that stunned England at home earlier in 2019.

Jasprit Bumrah (match haul of 6 wickets) and Ishant Sharma (8 wickets) exposed the opposition’s technical frailties and they will be gunning for more in the second game. Mohammad Shami looked to be in good rhythm as well.

Of course, there are few areas that the Indian team would want to improve on and hope to go top of the table with 120 points at the end of this series and before South Africa visit India.

For starters, Rishabh Pant will be desperate to pay back the faith reposed in him by the team management.

It is unlikely that India will be tinkering with their playing XI after a big win even though Pant’s form has been a bit of a concern of late.

More than the runs scored, it is the manner of his dismissals that is causing frustration, considering that the Indian cricket establishment has invested heavily in the 21-year-old. His sequence of scores across formats during this current tour has been 0, 4, 65 not out, 20, 0, 24, 7.

With veteran Wriddhiman Saha back in the dressing room and the gutsy KS Bharat waiting in the wings, Pant can ill-afford to take things for granted.

But having scored impressive runs on his previous overseas engagements, Pant has earned himself a long rope in the longest format.

Which brings us then to the openers.

Mind you, India are not the only side struggling in this aspect in Test cricket. You only have to glance your eyes towards the ongoing Ashes series to know this is a problem area for most of the top teams.

While Australia and England struggle for runs from their openers, shuffling players around, contemplating changes seemingly every match, starting troubles seem endless for teams for the moment in helpful conditions. Gone are the days of seeing off the first hour, leaving the balls outside the hitting zone, putting a prize on your wicket: batting in Tests, as Kohli lamented recently, has taken a dip except for the few consistent top performers.

For India, lack of consistency at the top could also be attributed to the lack of a consistent run for a particular pair. In the aforementioned time period, India have used as many as seven different batting pairs at the top of the order... and just when you thought Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw would be the way forward after the former’s debut in Australia and the latter’s impressive initiation, the Mumbai youngster suffered injuries and a suspension that has kept him out of the side.

KL Rahul got his chance back and, after impressing briefly in both the innings in Antigua, threw his wickets away. No one in the current Indian squad (not even Pant) has perfected the art of frustrating dismissals like Rahul has. He finds new ways of getting out when you think he will make his start count.

His friend and state-mate Agarwal was not in his elements either in the first Test but it is expected that he would get another opportunity, which he rightfully deserves having worked hard in Australia and over the years in first-class cricket.

But, as Kohli said before the first Test, it is up to Rahul and Agarwal to make their chances count.

“In the opening combination, we have selected only two openers, so the idea is to give them four innings, just let them go out there and express themselves,” Kohli had said in Antigua. “Mayank has done really well, KL (Rahul) has performed well in the past, he is looking forward to making things count in Test cricket again,” Kohli said on the eve of the match.”

“At the end of the day, as much as individuals want to perform, it is about what you can do as a team. If you look at the Melbourne Test, how (Hanuma) Vihari and Mayank opened and though Vihari scored just 18 or 20 runs, but he batted for 85 balls, tells you it is all about team, and he handled the situation so well that Pujara and myself could go out there and play the way we did and Pujara then went to get that century for us.”

The Indian middle-order performed admirably with Ajinkya Rahane back in form with an under-pressure half-century and a century. Hanuma Vihari also justified his selection with a 93 in the second innings, meaning that Rohit Sharma’s wait to return to the side could just get a bit longer.

Also read: All the statistics from India’s win against WI in first Test

At the moment, barring the few chinks, India do look to be a settled unit with Ravindra Jadeja also justifying his selection in the XI ahead of R Ashwin. Whether the latter gets a look in remains to be seen based on the conditions but it is unlikely to be at the cost of Jadeja and will depend on the pitch on offer.

The pace bowling was near flawless in the first game with Ishant and Bumrah looking menacing with five-wicket hauls each. Even Mohammed Shami was very effective in short bursts while Ravindra Jadeja proved his utility as an all-rounder.

“Any seamer are at their best when they are getting wickets. The five-wicket haul for both (Ishant and Bumrah) of them will give them tremendous confidence. Also Shami looked good whenever he was given the ball and it augurs well for the team,” bowling coach Bharat Arun said.

For West Indies, there hasn’t been much to write home about as none of their players even got a half-century in two innings. Talented players like Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope did not measure up while the normally dependable Roston Chase also looked out of sorts in the second innings.

The only saving grace for them was the new ball pair of Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach, who bowled their hearts out without much support from others. The team should be bolstered by the return of Keemo Paul in the place of Miguel Cummins but the pace-attack has a feel of one-dimensionality to it. Rakheem Cornwall could get a look in, to bring in the finger-spin variation with Roston Chase unable to bowl tight, long spells.

All signs point to a clean sweep for India, however, and Jason Holder must hope his team can channel their impressive form shown against England earlier this year.

Teams:

India: Virat Kohli (captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

West Indies: Jason Holder (c), Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Rakheem Cornwall, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Keemo Paul, Kemar Roach.

Match Starts at 7 pm IST.

(With PTI inputs)