Five Indians to look out for during Tests against West Indies
The focus will be on Team India as it hosts the West Indies, but the spotlight will inevitably be on individual performances.
Published : Oct 03, 2018 16:03 IST
The focus will be on Team India as it hosts the West Indies, but the spotlight will inevitably be on individual performances. Ahead of the Rajkot Test on Thursday, here is a look at five Indian cricketers grabbing eyeballs.
Prithvi Shaw
The 18-year-old has been the talk of the Indian cricketing grapevine for a while and is set for his debut. After leading India to the ICC U-19 World Cup victory earlier this year, Shaw rocketed to stardom and talk of the India cap started in earnest.
He failed to fire in tour game against West Indies, scoring eight, but has shaken up the domestic circuit that has earned him his shot.
This domestic season, Shaw has scored 98, 60 and 129 for Mumbai in three Vijay Hazare Trophy matches. He also scored 156 in two first-class games against South Africa A in August, and also had a fruitful tour of England with India A, scoring 189 in two FC matches.
With 1,418 runs in just 14 FC matches, the young opener has let his bat stake his claim for the step-up to Team India.
Mayank Agarwal
The 27-year-old lad piled on the runs in domestic cricket, season after season, and looked on the verge of a breakthrough, but it hadn't happened till now. He has amassed more than 3,300 runs in FC cricket in 43 games and also stated his case with a 90 in the just-concluded tour game against the West Indies.
The Karnataka opener has not scored heavily in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but made 47 and 80 in the FC game against Australia A in September.
Virat Kohli
Team India captain was in sensational form during the tour of England, scoring 593 runs in five Tests, including two centuries and three half-centuries.
Having skipped the Asia Cup after the gruelling English tour, he would be keen on hitting the ground running against the Windies. Fans would be salivating to see him build on his formidable reputation as the world's best Test bastman.
Cheteshwar Pujara
Having finished as the third-highest run-scorer in the Tests against England, scoring 278 runs from four matches, including a ton and a half-century, Pujara will be keen on grabbing this series to make a statement of intent.
Before heading into the opening Test on home turf, Pujara warmed up with three Vijay Hazare Trophy matches, scoring 31, 56 and an unbeaten 36 for Saurashtra.
With a tally of 4,809 runs from 62 Tests, this is another opportunity for him to stamp his dependable status in the Test squad.
Ravichandran Ashwin
The off-spinner featured for the Indian Test side in England in August 2018, where he claimed 11 wickets in four matches at an average of 32.72.
Having claimed 327 wickets in 62 Tests, Ashwin's has also established his credentials as a formidable Test batsman (four centuries, 11 half-centuries).
He is lethal on Indian tracks and West Indies batsmen will have their task cut out.