West Indies have an uphill task to level the series when they host India in the second Test from Thursday, July 20. The match is scheduled to take place at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Here we bring you the WI vs IND prediction for the second Test but before that take a look at the head to head record between these two teams in the longer format.
Also Read: India head coach Rahul Dravid opts to rest for Ireland T20Is
Contents
WI vs IND match preview
West Indies
West Indies were completely outplayed in the first Test in Dominica, losing by an innings and 141 runs. On a pitch that favoured their opponents more than the home side, West Indies batters found it hard to buy runs. Alick Athanaze fought with 47 runs on his debut but wickets kept tumbling and they were bowled out for 150.
Their bowlers didn't fare any better as the Indian opening pair brought up individual centuries. West Indies tried nine bowlers but none of them could make a real impact as they conceded a 271-run lead. The first innings story repeated in the second gig as the hosts were bowled out for 130.
The historic 100th Test v India is just 2️⃣ days away in Trinidad!🇹🇹
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In this WI vs IND prediction for the second Test, we'll try to predict the West Indies playing XI. At least one change is confirmed with Ramon Reifer not being picked in the squad. Kirk McKenzie is likely to take up his place. Spin bowler Kevin Sinclair could also come in for Jomel Warrican.
WI Possible 11: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Jermaine Blackwood, Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Rahkeem Cornwall, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair
India
India dominated the previous Caribbean tour with fast bowling. In the first Test of this series, they did it with spin. Ravichandran Ashwin was all over the Windies batting line-up from the get-go. He picked 5 for 60 in the first innings while Ravindra Jadeja bagged three.
Rohit Sharma and the debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal then batted for over 75 overs together and put on a massive partnership of 229 runs. Sharma was dismissed for 103 whereas Jaiswal went on to score 171. Virat Kohli played a very uncharacteristic knock of 76 before they declared on 421/5. If the five-for in the first innings wasn't enough, Ashwin claimed 7 for 71 in the second outing.
A special century 💯
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 19, 2023
Hear what #TeamIndia Captain @ImRo45 had to say on the occasion of 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣th Test between India & @windiescricket 👌🏻👌🏻
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Let's talk about India's likely XI for the match in this WI vs IND prediction. India dominated the first Test and have no reason to disrupt their combination. They have good balance irrespective of the nature of the pitch on offer.
IND Possible 11: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj
Pitch report and expected weather conditions
Queen's Park Oval is a venue that has historically been a happy hunting ground for spinners. Batting will get harder on the last three days. You can also expect new ball bowlers to find some movement. The average first and second innings score at the venue in Test cricket reads 304 and 312, respectively.
The weather could play a significant part in this Test as there's a forecast for rain on all five days. Showers are very likely to make appearances on multiple occasions with over a 50% chance of precipitation on the last four days. The first day morning could see some thunderstorms but is expected to clear in the afternoon.
WI vs IND Dream11 prediction
Our WI vs IND Dream11 predictions for this match
Here in this WI vs IND Dream11 prediction, we'll discuss the reasoning behind the selected players for this game. Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli are top quality players and form the base team.
We're picking Joshua Da Silva for the wicket-keeper slot over India's Ishan Kishan. Da Silva is part of a weaker side and will get to bat twice compared to Kishan who barely got to bat in one innings at Dominica.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was incredible on his debut, playing pace and spin assuredly on his way to 171 runs. It would be foolish to leave him out. Shubman Gill was dismissed cheaply in the first Test but his upside is huge. Alick Athanaze made 75 runs on his debut and was the most secured batter from West Indies.
Mohammed Siraj has the ability to run through the Windies' batting unit on a flatter surface as well. Kemar Roach has been a key bowler for West Indies and if there's any movement on offer, he could make a good impact. Right-arm off-break all-rounder Kevin Sinclair is likely to make his Test debut. He has a good FC record and could do well on a turning pitch.
As for the captaincy, There's no one better than R Ashwin when the pitch has assistance for spin. The off-spinner bagged 12 wickets in the first Test at Dominica and is capable with the bat. Rohit Sharma has been the best Indian batter in Test cricket in the last few years and is coming off a century. You can back him as the VC for this game.
WI vs IND match prediction: India to win
India haven't lost a Test against West Indies in their last 24 clashes. This generation has won nine out of the previous 11 games since 2013. The visitors have a considerably better bowling attack as well as batting unit. West Indies could not compete in the first game and it's likely to be the same case. Our WI vs IND match prediction is that India will win the second Test.
WI vs IND toss prediction: India to win the toss and bat first
West Indies won the toss in the series opener and opted to bat first. Port of Spain is a venue where batting first is a far better option than batting last. The trend in Test cricket in the last decade has been to bat first. Considering the probability of toss, our WI vs IND toss prediction is for India to win the toss and bat first.
Man of the match prediction: Ravichandran Ashwin to win
Our WI vs IND prediction for the man of the match in the second Test is Ravichandran Ashwin. The off-spinner has 50 wickets in his last eight Tests at a superb strike rate of 38.60. He picked 5/60 and 7/71 in the first Test and remains the biggest threat for the hosts.
WI vs IND betting odds
The WI vs IND betting odds for the second Test have India as heavy favourites. India have the odds of 1.30 to win this match whereas West Indies have a mountain to climb with their odds of winning set at 15.00.
