India vs West Indies, 3rd Test at St Lucia: Likely XI for hosts

Although India lead the series 1-0, West Indies showed signs of improvement as the battle progressed, looking good to level the series in the third Test at St Lucia.

West Indies’ resilience in the second of the four-Test series handed them an improbable draw against the might of the Indian bowling attack. Although the visitors lead the series 1-0, Jason Holder’s inexperienced brigade showed signs of improvement as the battle progressed, looking good to level the series in the third Test at St Lucia. West Indies drafted Shai Hope in the squad, replacing Rajendra Chandrika who managed to score only 53 runs in his last four innings. However, Hope’s inclusion will bolster the home team’s top order, as the 22-year-old opening batsman scored a century against India when he turned out for the WICB President’s XI. Let’s walk through the likely XI for the hosts: Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs West Indies, 3rd Test match

Top order: In the last two Tests, either of the West Indian openers were sent back to the pavilion early on, failing to lay a solid foundation for the middle-order. Nonetheless, now that Hope has been added in the squad, he is likely to open with Kraigg Brathwaite. Barring the 74-run knock in the first Test, Kraigg failed to churn out runs with consistency.

Another batsman who failed to live up to his potential is Darren Bravo. With scores of 11, 10, 0 and 20, the southpaw terribly struggled to find his feat against India’s disciplined bowing. But, given he has been West India’s star performer in the longest format of late, he will be expected to score Daddy hundreds in the remaining Tests.

Marlon Samuels, on the other hand, has had a relatively similar series. Though he scored a half-century in the opening game, he has failed to carry his stellar show. Also read – IND vs WI 2016, 3rd Test at St Lucia: Likely XI for Team India

Middle and lower-middle order: It is, as a matter of fact, the middle and lower-middle order that have provided the impetus so far. Jermaine Blackwood, who got a pair in the first Test went on a rampage in the second one to take the home side out of the trouble in the first innings. All the same, the youngster who stole the lime light was the 24-year-old Roston Chase, scoring his maiden hundred in his only second international match and battling for 269 deliveries to draw the second Test.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Shane Dowrich came to his own as well, playing a vital 74-run knock to keep India at bay. In addition, captain Holder was in the thick of the action, as he displayed stunning batsmanship and added 64 runs to the team’s total.

Bowling: No doubt that the West Indian bowlers have been incredibly disciplined so far, but they lacked the venom to get the better of the Indian batsmen. As Miguel Cummins struggled to play with full fitness, he is likely to be replaced by Alzarri Joseph, who rose to prominence in ICC U-19 World Cup 2016. He will form a pace trio with Holder and Shannon Gabriel.

Gabriel rocked the Indian batsman with sheer pace and swing in the last two matches but, like every other West Indian pacer, failed to pocket wickets. Given the track at St Lucia has grass on it, he will have a good time rattling the Indian top order. Also read: Darren Sammy’s unceremonious sacking pushes West Indies cricket in further turmoil

The only specialist spinner Holder has at his disposal is leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo. The Kingston track being on the slower side, Bishoo’s leg-cutters weren’t a problem anymore for the visitors, as he could scalp only a wicket.

However, the pick of the bowlers was the all-rounder Chase, who bagged his maiden five-for this series. If Bishoo struggles to catch the opposition in spin, Chase’s off-cutters might be handy to keep India from taking control.

Likely XI: Shai Hope, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Jermaine Blackwood, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich (wk), Jason Holder (c), Devendra Bishoo, Shannon Gabriel, Alzarri Joseph

(Kaustubh S. Mayekar, a reporter at CricketCountry, played cricket at U-16 level. Like his idol Rahul Dravid, he often shadow-practises cricket shots. His Twitter handle is @kaumedy_)

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