IND vs WI, 1st Test Match Prediction: Who will win today’s game between India and West Indies?

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The much-awaited Test series between India and West Indies is set to begin on October 2 at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This will be India’s first home Test after the retirements of stalwarts Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin, marking the start of a new era in Indian cricket. The responsibility now falls on the young brigade to step up and deliver in red-ball cricket.

Captain Shubman Gill will be under the spotlight as he leads the side for the first time in Tests at home. The absence of Rishabh Pant, who continues to recover from his long injury layoff, also leaves a big gap in the middle order, though Dhruv Jurel has been entrusted with the wicketkeeping duties.

India’s top order features Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, while Sai Sudharsan and Gill are expected to provide stability in the middle. Ravindra Jadeja’s experience will be crucial, both with the bat and ball. The spin department is further strengthened by Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav, while pace responsibilities will be shared between Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna. The squad also includes fresh faces like Devdutt Padikkal and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who may get opportunities as the series progresses.

West Indies enter this series with multiple setbacks. Kraigg Brathwaite, their regular skipper and senior-most batter, was not picked, while speedsters Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph were initially part of the squad but later ruled out due to injuries. In their absence, Roston Chase has been handed the captaincy.

The visitors will rely heavily on the opening duo of John Campbell and Tagenarine Chanderpaul, with middle-order support from Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, and wicketkeeper Shai Hope. The bowling attack will be spearheaded by Jayden Seales, Anderson Phillip, and Jomel Warrican, though the absence of their premier pacers could make life difficult against India’s batting lineup.

Matches Played: 100 | India won: 23 | West Indies won: 30 | Draw: 47

The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is generally considered a batting-friendly surface, giving stroke-makers plenty of opportunities to score runs. Fast bowlers may find some movement with the new ball early on, while spinners are likely to come into play as the match wears on with a bit of turn and consistent bounce on offer. Traditionally, batting conditions tend to improve as the game progresses. Interestingly, in the 15 Tests played at this ground, teams have secured victories an equal number of times – four each – when batting first and when bowling first.

Also READ: Varun Aaron names his India XI for the opening Test against West Indies in Ahmedabad

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), N Jagadeesan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy

West Indies: John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, Roston Chase (c), Shai Hope (wk), Justin Greaves, Khary Pierre, Johann Layne, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales, Jomel Warrican, Jediah Blades, Kevlon Anderson, Tevin Imlach

If India gets the chance to bat first, they will look to pile up a massive first-innings total and then unleash their spin attack to trouble the West Indies batters. In such a scenario, the visitors could find themselves batting twice, with India aiming to seal victory by an innings.

On the other hand, if West Indies take strike first, the Indian pace unit will be eager to strike early and restrict them to a modest total. With the depth in their batting, India would then look to post a commanding score and once again put pressure on the Windies by wrapping them up quickly in the second innings.

Overall, the balance strongly tilts in India’s favour, with their bowling depth and batting firepower expected to dominate the contest in Ahmedabad.

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