India vs West Indies 2nd Test: Focus on Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan and Rahane as visitors eye series sweep

Transition was the buzzword before India began their Test series against West Indies and in some ways, Rohit Sharma and Co have already embarked upon the road to change. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ishan Kishan were the two Test debutants for India in the first Test which India won by an innings and 141 runs. For debutant No 1, Yashasvi , it was a dream initiation into international cricket as the southpaw amassed 171 runs in his debut innings and was declared the Player of the Match in his first game. The most impressive aspect of Yashashvi’s maiden outing in international cricket was how he adapted to the conditions at Dominica and the slow pitch on offer. The Rajasthan Royals batter who struck runs at a strike rate of 163.61 in IPL 2023 took 215 balls to get to his debut hundred. The innings was classy and gritty at the same time as Jaiswal consumed 387 balls during his knock, making the record for facing the most deliveries by an Indian on debut. For debutant No 3, Kishan, who was preferred over KS Bharat, it was a decent game with the gloves in which he took two catches but only got 20 balls in India’s only innings, scoring one run. For both, Jaiswal and Kishan, who have become the first to initiate the transition in the Test side after a defeat in the World Test Championship final 2021-23, the second Test would be one more opportunity to showcase their class and seal a permanent spot. India’s next Test assignment after the West Indies series will come on the tour of South Africa in December-January and hence it becomes extremely crucial to put in a performance that will stay in memory for a while. While Kishan would hope for more balls where he could display his aggressive batting and put himself at the top of the pecking order, especially in case Rishanbh Pant isn’t 100% ready for Test cricket by the end of the year, Yashasvi would have his eyes on another century, which would not only guarantee him a long run as an opener in Test cricket but also put him in the exclusive club as the third India batter after Sourav Ganguly and Rohit Sharma to score a century in their first two Test innings. Rahane looks for big runs There’s one more player who has a point to prove. Making a return to Test cricket after 18 months, Ajinkya Rahane emerged as India’s best batter in the WTC final with knocks of 89 and 46 at the Oval. At Dominica, he could only score 3 but India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour has already indicated that the management is looking at Rahane as an option for South Africa. “When it comes to technique, you constantly work on that but what stood out for me that he was much more calm in his approach. He was playing late and close to the body. He is still batting the same way in the nets," Rathour said ahead of the second Test. “We hope he will do well. Conditions in South Africa, you will need somebody like him to come good.” Rahane currently holds the slot that belonged to Shreyas Iyer not too long back. A back injury has pushed Iyer out of the side, but Rahane knows that lack of runs in the second Test will once again put him on the brink in Test cricket. Team combination Apart from Jaiswal, Kishan and Rahane, most of the slots are occupied by first-choice players. Shardul Thakur and Jaydev Unadkat were the only other players who are not guaranteed starters. Both Thakur and Unadkat hardly had any opportunities in the first Test. Together they bowled just 16 overs with Thakur taking one wicket and their batting never came. Will India stick with them for the second Test or experimentation could happen? India captain Rohit Sharm has already declared that there will be no “drastic changes” which means if there’s a change it would be inspired from the pitch. Spin all-rounder Kevin Sinclair has been added to the West Indies squad for the second Test in place of batting all-rounder Raymon Reifer. This indicates a spin-friendly track at the Queen’s Park Oval but that would be a blunder for the hosts. Ravichandran Ashwin took 12 wickets in the Test and Ravindra Jadeja had five. The hosts should look for pitches that help pacers and can assist the likes of Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph. It looks difficult at the moment that they can beat India in the spin game. But if it’s another turner then India could play Axar Patel in place of Shardul Thakur. Trivia: The Port of Spain match will be the 100th Test between India and West Indies. Live Streaming: The match will start on 20 July at 7.30 PM IST. It will be streamed live for free on the JioCinema app and website. The match will also be available on Fancode and the telecast will be available on DD Sports.