India’s West Indies tour 2023 is about to start on July 12, when India’s playing 11 for the 1st Test vs West Indies was predicted by Harbhajan Singh.
India’s Playing 11 For 1st Test vs West Indies
The 1st Test between India and West Indies is scheduled to take place at Windsor Park in Roseau and the Indian team is expected to put on a good show after a break. The good start in this Test match will be a path for a positive attitude for the upcoming matches of three ODIs and five T20Is against West Indies.
India’s last play was against Australia in the finals of the World Test Championship 2023 at the Oval, where India suffered a big defeat with a difference of 209 runs in the match.
Hence BCCI has made a significant change to the Test team for the West Indies tour. Three players are newly picked for the Test Matches of West Indies, while Pujara was dropped out due to lack of runs in the Test.
The absence of Pujara in the top order indicated that Yashasvi or Ruturaj should make their debut for India’s test against West Indies.
But who will open alongside Rohit Sharma is a big question as Subhman Gill was the one who played as an opener in previous matches, but bringing Yashasvi into the squad, he has a good chance for opening alongside Rohit in the Test match against West Indies.
In the practice match that India had ahead of the Test match, It was Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma opened for India. Subhman Gill played at No. 3.
Many Youngsters have been placed in the squad, which will be interesting as they are expected to show off their talents on this tour. Former India Spinner Harbhajan Singh had picked India’s playing Xl in the video uploaded on his channel.
Shardul Thakur was left out of the playing 11, despite his good performance in the finals of WTC 2023 alongside Ishan Khan.
CHECK: WI vs IND 2023 Live Streaming – India Tour of West Indies
Harbajan’s prediction on line-up for the First test
“According to me, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill should open, and Yashasvi Jaiswal should play at No. 3. A lot of people were saying that Yashasvi should be made to open and Shubman should be played down the order—I don’t think so because Shubman has made it his own place,” said Harbhajan.
“He (Gill) has got that position based on his performance. So his position should not be touched. I will play Yashasvi at No. 3. I hope he makes his debut and scores a lot of runs. He is a very good player. After that, Virat Kohli will play at No. 4 and Ajinkya Rahane will play at No. 5,” he added.
“Ravindra Jadeja at No. 6, R Ashwin or KS Bharat at No. 7. If Ashwin bats at No. 7, then KS Bharat bats at No. 8. Then I will see Mohammed Siraj at No. 9. Along with him, I will see Jaydev Unadkat because he has been performing in domestic cricket for a long time and he hasn’t had many opportunities.”
“So I hope he gets an opportunity to play there and he shows what he can do. So I will keep Unadkat in the team, and at No. 11, I will keep Mukesh Kumar. He has also performed extremely well in the Ranji Trophy, due to which he has got a chance to show his prowess in the Indian team,” he said.
Probable India Xl for 1st Test against West Indies
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Srikar Bharat, Mohammed Siraj, Jaydev Unadkat, Mukesh Kumar
