IND tour of WI 2023
WI vs IND, 2nd Test

Preview 

Rohit Sharma-led team IND kicked off their Test Championship Series 2025–2027 campaign by securing 12 points after thrashing the Hosts in the first test of the 2-test match series. WI was outmatched on all fronts and humiliated by heavy innings and a 141-run defeat with the courtesy of Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja's heroic performances. The second test match of the series is set to begin on Thursday, July 20, 2023, between the two sides at Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain.

WI's batting performance, in particular, was shambolic, Kraigg Brathwaite-led side would need to do something remarkable to make a comeback now. The Visitors are now 1-0 ahead and are firm favourites to wrap up the series. And since 2011, WI hasn’t won a single Test at home against IND. West Indies lost their last home series to IND 0-2 in 2019.

In the last test match, Ashwin was the star of the match, scalping 12 wickets by notching his 34th five-wicket haul in the test matches. No WI batters had any answers to the guile and tricks of the wily off-spinner who is number in the test ranking, and he is likely to deliver the same rhythm in the second test as well to guide India for another 2-0 series. The 36-year-old spinner was ably supported by number-one test all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja who also took five wickets in the previous test match. One of the best duos in test cricket has made life miserable for many batting lineups and will prove to be the biggest challenge for WI to overcome in the next match.

After winning the toss, team India decided to bat first and posted a mammoth score of  421-5(dec) thanks to a remarkable Yashasvi Jaiswal's 171  and captain Rohit Sharma's 103. The left-handed opening batter Yashasvi exudes a sense of calm and confidence in the red ball format and showed plenty of composure in the middle with experienced batters like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He would not shy to WI's bowlers once again if he gets the opportunity once again. Though the veteran batter in the side, Virat Kohli who scored much-lucked 76 runs, got some runs under his belt but failed to convert it into a hundred.

WI, on the other hand, have all their key seamers in the squad. The likes of Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph and Jason Holder will be a force to reckon with. However, West Indies bowlers failed to tackle India's batting order in the first test match. The right-handed batter Gill failed to make an impact in the previous test, but the talented young batter has been in sensational form this year and he will be desperate to make a solid comeback at Queen's Park Oval.

So far 99 matches have been played in the Test format between WI and IND, out of which the Visitors have won 23 matches, while the WI team has won 30 matches. Apart from this, 46 matches have ended in a draw. Since 2002, IND has not faced defeat in a single Test series against the WI and has won 8 consecutive series so far and they are on the verge to win the 9th series as well.

Match Details

Match: IND tour of WI 2023, WI vs IND 2nd Test

Date: Thursday, July 20, 2023 - Monday, July 24, 2023

Time: 07:30 PM IST

Venue: Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad

Pitch and Weather Report

The average first-inning score at this venue is 304 runs, dropping to 172 in the 4th innings. Both sides have played 13 matches at the Queen's Park Oval, with WI and IND winning 3 matches and 7 matches ended in a draw. The last Test match between both nations was played in 2016 at the site and finished in a draw.

Out of the 61 matches played on this track, 20 have been won by the team batting first and 18 have been won by the side chasing at Queen's Park Oval. We expect the team winning the toss to bat first and post a big score on the board.

The maximum temperature will remain at 31°C, with a low of 25°C with 74% humidity, and a wind speed of 14-16 Km/hr for the 2nd Test match between WI and IND Thursday, July 20, 2023 - Monday, July 24, 2023. The weather forecast predicts showers on all days, and days 2 and 4 are anticipated to have more rainfall at this venue.

WI vs IND Squads

WI: Kraigg Brathwaite (C), Jermaine Blackwood (VC), Joshua Da Silva (WK), Alick Athanaze, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Jomel Warrican.

IND: Rohit Sharma (C), Ajinkya Rahane (VC), KS Bharat (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mukesh Kumar, Axar Patel, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat

WI vs IND Probable Playing XIs

WI: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Raymon Reifer, Jermaine Blackwood, Rakheem Cornwall, Kirk McKenzie, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel

IND: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj


Match Prediction

The Visitors once again will start this Test as overwhelming favourites against a weak bowling side of WI. Unfortunately, there are plenty of holes in the Hosts' batting unit, and unless the more experienced batters step up, Kraigg Brathwaite-led WI is likely to struggle again against the Indian spinners. West Indies' best chance is to expose the vulnerable Rohit Sharma-led India's middle order and bowl the Visitors out for a below-par score in their 1st innings. However, that will take some doing, as India’s top four are in excellent touch for this match. We say India to dominate this match once again and win the series by 2-0.

Suggested Playing XI Real11 Fantasy Cricket

Team 1

Team 2