India cricket team have decided to go with two pacers and three spinners for the IND vs WI 1st Test at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. West Indies captain Roston Chase won the toss and opted to bat first in the contest. Jasprit Bumrah returns to the playing XI while Kuldeep Yadav finally gets to play a Test match.
India playing XI for IND vs WI 1st Tests
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
The top 5 remains the same with Rahul and Jaiswal retained as the openers while Sudharsan will bat at number 3. Team India have decided to leave out Devdutt Padikkal and instead have an additional all-rounder in the line-up in the form of Nitish Kumar Reddy who makes his return to international cricket after getting injured mid-way of the IND vs ENG Test series earlier this year.
The three spinners in the playing XI include Jadeja, Sundar and Kuldeep, leaving Axar Patel benched in his home ground. After being benched throughout the IND vs ENG Test series, Yadav finally gets to play a Test, his first since October 2024 in the series against New Zealand.
Sundar had suffered an injury scare during training on Tuesday. He was reportedly seen in discomfort over a finger injury, with the medical staff and Gill paying close attention to him. However, he seems to have brushed aside those concerns and has been deemed fit to play in the XI.
Meanwhile, there is no rest for Bumrah as he will lead the pace battery for the side alongside Siraj.
In all, India have five batters, three all-rounders, one specialist spinner and two fast bowlers in their playing XI for the IND vs WI 1st Test in Ahmedabad.
