West Indies are a poor team, in Aakash Chopra opinion, and they won’t be able to defeat India in the forthcoming Test series.
India vs West Indies opening encounter of a two-match series between the two teams will take place at Roseau on Wednesday, July 12. The West Indies, who placed ninth in the most recent World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, would aim to do better in their opening matches of the current cycle.
In a video previewing the first Test that was posted to his YouTube site, Chopra expressed doubt over the likelihood of the hosts defeating India, saying:
What is the background of the opposing squad? Nobody’s stats are extremely impressive. No matter how well or poorly they perform at home, I still consider them to be a weak squad. Because they are playing at home, this squad could give us a little trouble, but can they defeat India? I don’t think they can defeat India, personally.
But the former Indian opener listed a few West Indies players who would be being watched:
Alzarri Joseph will be a minor point of emphasis. There is Raymon Reifer, and he will receive some attention. Another batter worth mentioning is Kraigg Brathwaite. Jason Holder will be in the centre. Roston Chase has not arrived and Rahkeem Cornwall has been summoned back.
After being disqualified from the ODI World Cup later this year, the West Indies enter the Test series. They were shocked by Scotland, Zimbabwe, and the Netherlands, and as a result, they were eliminated.
The only two Indian players with experience there are Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli, according to Aakash Chopra
With the exception of Virat Kohli, Aakash Chopra noted that none of the current Indian players have ever played in Dominica:
Dominica last saw India perform there in 2011. After that, they didn’t perform there again. Only Virat Kohli participated in that match for the complete Indian squad. The coach is the other person. Thus, only Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid have participated in the sport there.
The cricketer-turned-commentator anticipates a green playing field, with the Dukes ball helping the seamers even more:
In Dominica, just five Test games have been held. Therefore, there isn’t a very large sample size to predict the future conditions. But what actually occurs nowadays in the West Indies? The pitch will have grass on it. There isn’t a brown pitch seen here. The ball here is a Dukes, and it swings a more.
However, Chopra said that the wicket is anticipated to be sluggish and may favour spinners more in the opening session and later in the match, presuming there would be moisture. He wants India to bat first if they win the toss since he believes they will only get to bat twice in that situation, despite the early help for the bowlers.
Read Also – Netherlands ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 Schedule, Time, Matches List, Group, Date