Roseau, Dominica: West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and chose to bat on the first day of the opening Test of a two-match series against India at Windsor Park Stadium in Dominica on Wednesday.
With the home side seeking to end a run of more than 21 years without a Test victory against India, either at home or away, 24-year-old Dominican native Alick Athanaze makes his Test debut in the middle-order in place of the injured Kyle Mayers.
India, whose last assignment was a 209-run defeat to Australia in the World Test Championship final at The Oval in London last month, include two debutants in their line-up.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, a 21-year-old, is set to open the batting with captain Rohit Sharma while wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan, who turns 25 next Tuesday, plays his first Test at the expense of incumbent Srikar Bharat.
This is the 99th Test between the two teams since the first in Delhi in 1948 and marks the start of the third cycle of the World Test Championship, culminating in the final in 2025.
Teams: West Indies - Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Raymon Reifer, Alick Athanaze, Jermaine Blackwood, Jason Holder, Joshua da Silva (wkt), Rahkeem Cornwall, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican.
India - Rohit Sharma (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan (wkt), Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Jaydev Unadkat.
Umpires: Michael Gough (ENG), Richard Kettleborough (ENG)
Match Referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)
-- AFP
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