India vs West Indies: Three-way fight for fifth bowler’s slot

Roseau (Dominica), July 9

The Indian team management will be fretting over its bowling combination, with Jaydev Unadkat, Mukesh Kumar and Navdeep Saini locked in a three-way fight for the third pacer’s slot in the upcoming two-Test series starting here on Wednesday.

The Windsor Park in the Dominican capital has hosted only five Tests, of which the hosts have won only one. The last Test here was held in 2017 when Pakistan won by 101 runs after leg-spinner Yasir Shah picked up a match-haul of eight wickets.

It is understandable that India will pick both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, while Shardul Thakur will be playing alongside pace spearhead Mohammed Siraj.

However, the choice for the fifth bowler isn’t going to be easy. Saini has pace and is like a workhorse who can bowl long spells. Left-arm pacer Unadkat, having toiled hard for more than a decade on an unresponsive Rajkot track, has a few tricks up his sleeve. Mukesh is probably the most potent new-ball bowler among the three, with his ability to move the ball both ways. PTI

Lara expects players to come good

West Indies’ performance mentor Brian Lara believes his players are moving in the “right direction” and hoped some of them will grab the opportunity and produce the goods against India. “India are one of the top teams in the world,” said Lara. “I think the guys are moving in the right direction, in terms of where we started the camp and where we are. It’s a young group, ably led by Kraigg Brathwaite. But I feel that some of the guys can come into their own in this series,” he added.