West Indies v India Test Series – 3 batters to look out for

With some new faces having been injected in the Indian squad, here’s a look at the three batters to look out for in the upcoming Test Series between West Indies and India.

Shubman Gill

Young and stylish Indian opening batter Shubman Gill made his debut on the India tour of Australia, 2020-21 and enthralled one and all with his silky smooth touch and impeccable timing right away. His 146-ball 91 in the fourth Test was a big contribution in India breaching the Gabba fortress and taking the series 2-1 against Australia – a rare sight in red-ball cricket Down Under.

However, while Gill has taken giant strides for India in the white ball formats, he hasn’t really been able to make full use of his ability in red ball cricket. The right hander has played many brilliant cameos, and has two centuries and four half-centuries to his name, but given his potential, he hasn’t been as consistent as he would have liked.

Gill is beginning to come into his own slowly but surely in Test cricket as well. He recently brought up his maiden Test ton in Bangladesh and then followed it up with another century against Australia at home.

The WTC Final did not bring him the desired success despite him looking a million bucks during the time he was at the crease. The batter did not shy away from making his disappointment known after his controversial dismissal.

With a new WTC cycle beginning for India with the two-match Test series against West Indies, and Gill gradually getting into his work in the five-day format, the coming two years might just be the coming of age phase for Gill.

Shubman Gill will be one of the favourites to top the leading run scorers in the tournament over at betway satta and is currently 7/2 to be top run getter in the 1st Test match

Virat Kohli

When Virat Kohli brought up his 28th Test ton with his knock of 186 against Australia to help Team India book their spot in the World Test Championship final, he had registered a three-figure score after a gap of 3.5 years – his last ton having com e back in 2019 in a Test against Bangladesh in Kolkata.

The 34-year-old batter was getting starts and converting them into fifties as well but a big score kept eluding him. In his own words, his 75th international ton gave him ‘a sense of calmness’.

“I was getting decent scores, but if you ask me if I was happy with what I was doing. I wasn’t. I pride myself in performing for the team to the best of my ability, I certainly wasn’t doing that enough .I wanted to score big runs, that’s something that always propelled me, whether it was at home or away. I was doing that to a certain extent. But I was not having the same kind of impact that I had before. So, when I made the hundred and converted it into a big one, that gave me a sense of calmness, relaxation, and excitement again,” Kohli said after his knock.

He looked close to his vintage best in the WTC final against Australia as well, and the day is not far when he hits a purple patch in Test cricket again. The hunger which the legendary batter has shown over the last couple of years despite his lean The patch is an ominous sign for the West Indian bowling attack.

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal has essentially replaced Cheteshwar Pujara in the Indian Test squad and is expected to make the No. 3 spot his own come the first Test on 12th July at the Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica.

Most viewers will know Jaiswal for his sensational performances for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023, but the southpaw has done an exceptional job in the limited opportunities he has got in red-ball domestic cricket as well, averaging 80.21 from 26 innings in First Class cricket.

More importantly, Jaiswal is a free-flowing stroke maker – the type of batters the Indian team management is currently looking for. If the batter can translate his performances in domestic cricket on the international stage, India would have unearthed a generational talent.