The West Indies batsmen will need to produce a positive performance if their team are to win the Jamaica Test and save the two-Test series against India
India vs West Indies at Jamaica weather update, India tour of West Indies 2019: The last time West Indies and India played a Test at Jamaica was in 2016. That match is remembered by one and all for the team from the Caribbean found Roston Chase.
Playing only his second Test then, Chase scored an unbeaten 137 off 269 deliveries and kept up his vigil at the crease to save the Test for the home side. This time around though, the home side need a win to save the series, their batsmen need to pull off a turnaround of sorts considering their abject surrender to the Indian seam bowlers in the first Test.
West Indies top-order batsmen were not able to provide a strong start to the home side in each innings of the first Test. AP
While the West Indies seam bowlers deserve the plaudits for their performances where Kemar Roach has looked menacing with the new ball and Shannon Gabriel complemented him well, it is the batsmen which need to step up to the task at hand.
That was something which they failed at miserably, considering their highest scorer in the second innings was Kemar Roach who slogged away to a creditable 38 which included five sixes.
West Indies have stuck to preparing tracks which complement seam bowling for some time now. The pitch at Sabina Park falls in the same boat. West Indies last played here against Bangladesh and routed them inside three days.
Against India though, it's a different game altogether and the hosts would have been mindful of that while preparing the pitch.
For India, there will be some nagging worries ahead of the second Test. KL Rahul needs to get to a milestone, some milestone, even a fifty would do at this point to suggest that he can remain in the scheme of things in the long haul.
He has been getting starts but failing to convert them as an opener is a worry. There is a reason to think that Virat Kohli will play him again since he scored 44 and 38 in the first Test and looked set until he gave his wicket away.
For the West Indies, it will be interesting to see if they make any changes. Keemo Paul and Rahkeem Cornwall could get a spot in the playing 11 as the home side goes for broke here with the odds stacked against them.
As for the weather, according to Accuweather, there will likely be intermittent periods of cloudy weather and sunshine with rain on the cards, especially heading into the afternoon stretch of play. The wind speed will also be on the ascendant which could assist the seam bowlers in attaining some swing in the air.
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