ROSEAU: West Indies won the toss and opted to bat first against India on Wednesday in the first Test at Windsor Park in six years.
Both teams have gone with two spinners and three pacers.
The home side is debuting middle-order batter Alick Athanaze and India is giving first caps to opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal and wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan.
After Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped following the World Test Championship final last month, Shubman Gill asked to drop in the order from opening to No. 3 because he preferred it.
That allowed Jaiswal to give India a first left-handed top-order batter in ages. He has an average of 80 from 15 first-class matches.
Kishan replaced Srikar Bharat, who has been behind the stumps in all five tests since Rishabh Pant was seriously injured in a car crash in December. Kishan has played more than 40 limited-overs matches for India since 2021.
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No. 1-ranked Test bowler Ravichandran Ashwin returns as another spin option beside allrounder Ravindra Jadeja after not being picked for the WTC final at the Oval. Ashwin didn't play on the 2019 tour of the Caribbean but Windsor Park is regarded as spin friendly.
That accounts for West Indies also picking two spinners in Rahkeem Cornwall and Jomel Worrican, who will both play their first tests since November 2021 while Gudakesh Motie rehabs.
Athanaze, playing at his home ground, made his West Indies debut in a one-day international last month in the United Arab Emirates and scored a 45-ball 65. He also impressed on an A tour of Bangladesh earlier this year.
Lineups:
West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Raymon Reifer, Jermaine Blackwood, Alick Athanaze, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva, Rahkeem Cornwall, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican.
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj.