West Indies vs India – 2nd International Test Preview & Prediction
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THE FACTS
When is West Indies vs India taking place? Thursday, July 20th-24th, 2023 – 15:00 (UK)
Where is West Indies vs India taking place? West Indies vs India will take place at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain
What channel is West Indies vs India on? West Indies vs India will be televised live on TNT Sports in the UK
Where can I stream West Indies vs India? TNT Sports subscribers in the UK can stream West Indies vs India live on discovery+
LAST MEETING
India beat West Indies by an innings and 141 runs
THE LOWDOWN
WEST INDIES
It’s a sad time to be a West Indies cricket fan right now. In all formats of the game, it feels like they are stuck in a downward spiral, which they seem unable to stop. After failing to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup in the fall, India added insult to injury, by thrashing the Windies in their return to the Test match arena. Despite winning the toss and batting first, not a single West Indian player reached a half-century as they were bowled out for just 150, with eight of their ten wickets falling to spin. This was followed up by a toothless bowling performance, allowing the tourists to rack up 229 for the first wicket alone. Following a declaration at 421/5, West Indies couldn’t even improve on their first innings score, this time being spun out for 130.
No doubt a strong message will have likely been relayed to the ground staff at Queen’s Park Oval to prepare a pitch that is nowhere as contusive to spin as the track was for the first Test. But regardless of any changes West Indies may make, based on their most recent showing, it is clear that they are vastly inferior to their opponents when it comes to both individual ability and as a collective team. The least they can do though is fight hard for themselves and for their nation, be the best that they can be and that will at least give them a chance.
INDIA
In contrast to West Indies, India have plenty to be enthused about when it comes to their red ball cricket when you consider how utterly dominant they were in the first Test. The foundations were laid early on by the spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin taking a five-wicket haul and he was backed up by Ravindra Jadeja’s three-fer. Then it was the turn of the batters, specifically Yashasvi Jaiswal. The 21-year-old making his Test debut first put together a partnership 229 for the first wicket with captain Rohit Sharma, before batting on to score a memorable 171. He becomes the 17th Indian cricketer to make a century on debut and no doubt many more international tons are in his future.
Eventually, India declared on 421/5, Virat Kohli hitting 76 alongside Jaiswal’s 171 and Rohit’s 103. That proved more than enough to secure a resounding innings victory as Ashwin got to work again, mercilessly ripping apart a fragile Windies batting unit with the assistance of a turning pitch. Seven wickets gave Ashwin 12 across the entire Test, equalling Anil Kumble’s record of eight ten-wicket hauls. He also became the 16th Test player to pass the 700-wicket-mark.
THE PREDICTION
At the very least we can expect a better all-round showing from West Indies because to be brutally honest, it cannot get any worse than what we saw in the first Test. However, that is very unlikely to alter what should be a straightforward outcome in this second Test. India are simply a better team in all departments and their standards are so high that they won’t be allowed to drop them, especially when considering the sheer weight of experience within their Test XI. Back another India win and a series sweep.
TIP: INDIA TO WIN
