India vs Windies 2018: Team India announces their Playing XI for the first Test

It seems like India is trying to follow the other boards by announcing their playing XI one day prior to the Test match. Usually, foreign teams used to reveal their playing XI prior to the Test matches while India always kept it secret till the toss time. However, this time, the official revealed India’s playing XI for the first Test against Windies.

Prithvi Shaw to make his debut:

The wait for Prithvi Shaw to achieve his dream is over, as he is named in the starting XI for the first Test. He will be accompanied by KL Rahul at the top of the order while Chesteshwar Pujara will take his regular role of the number three position.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli will be donning his captaincy hat yet again and also takes the number four slot as well. He will be followed by the vice-captain of the team Ajinkya Rahane to strengthen the middle-order.

The last Test centurion Rishabh Pant retained his place as the wicketkeeper while Hanuma Vihari is unfortunate to miss out for the game. Team India embed three spinners in their starting XI, as Indian pitches offer ample assistance for the spinners.

They went with Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav for the Test at Rajkot. Surprisingly, Ravichandran Ashwin has been included despite undergoing a few fitness concerns in the recent past.

Coming to the fast bowlers’ section, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami will be carrying the burden. Further, they confirmed that Shardul Thakur as the 12th member for the first Test at Saurashtra Cricket Association, Rajkot.

Mayank, Vihari, Siraj misses out:

Unfortunately, Mayank Agarwal couldn’t push a place for him in the team. Prithvi Shaw has been waiting since the England tour. Another unfortunate guy to miss out is Hanuma Vihari, who did reasonably well in his debut game. However, Mohammed Siraj has quite a time to get his Indian hat.

Here is India’s playing XI for the first Test match against the Windies:

Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav.