India elected to bat against Windies after winning the toss. Prithvi Shaw debuts for India and becomes the 293rd player to wear test cap. Kraigg Brathwaite leads Windies in the absence of Jason Holder, who is rested due to Ankle Injury. Sherman Lewis makes debut for Windies.
Virat Kohli: We are gonna have a bat first. Looks a good wicket to bat on. There’s a bit of grass that holds up the surface. It’s very warm and humid here so the best time to bat will be first. We are playing three spinners. Kuldeep is playing and Shardul misses, but he’s not far away from making his debut. Umesh and Shami start for us. Really excited for Shami. Prithvi Shaw is making his debut, it’s a big day for him. We need to focus on our lower order contributions, something we have spoken about in the past. See what Shaw can do at the top. It’s all about giving them this particular phase. Give them some confidence before the start of the series against Australia.
Kraigg Brathwaite: I would have had a bat first as well. Using the new ball is the key for us. Got to be aggressive and let’s enjoy the game. Holder is not playing. He had a slight ankle injury so he’ll be resting this game. Sunil Ambris comes in the team and Sherman Lewis will make his debut today. We lost the last two series so the guys are looking forward to this series.
India (Playing XI): Lokesh Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav
Windies (Playing XI): Kraigg Brathwaite(c), Kieran Powell, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Roston Chase, Sunil Ambris, Shane Dowrich(w), Keemo Paul, Devendra Bishoo, Sherman Lewis, Shannon Gabriel
