West Indies have won the toss in the first Test of the two-match series against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and have opted to bat first. Visiting skipper Roston Chase had no hesitation in opting to bat first as he felt that the pitch would only offer more turn as the game progressed.
Chase also acknowledged that there may be a bit of moisture in the pitch at the start of the Test in the opening hour and backs his batters so see the tricky phase through. Here`s what he had to say at the toss:
“We are going to bat first. Looks a good one. There will be a bit of moisture, it is Test cricket and we will have to handle that first couple of hours. It is a young side, we want to come out and play some good cricket. We don`t want to be batting last on this wicket as we know it will turn. We have gone with two seamers, two spinners and an allrounder.”
India, on the other hand, are coming into the Test series with some confidence under their belt having drawn a Test series 2-2 away to England. Skipper Shubman Gill wants the hosts to be dominant in their home stretch that will see them play two Tests each against West Indies and South Africa. Here`s what Gill said at the toss:
We have got four Tests (at home) before the end of the year and we would like to win all four. Preparation has been good. Everyone is in great touch, it is about getting into the red-ball mindset. It looks like a very good surface. Not disappointed with losing the toss, it has been under covers and there might be some help early on. We have two seamers – Bumrah and Siraj, three spinners – Jaddu Bhai, Washington and Kuldeep, and allrounder Nitish Reddy.
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj