West Indies vs India, WI vs IND, Today Match Prediction 20 July 2023

win vs ind Match Prediction & Analysis

India kicked off their World Test Championship 2025–2027 campaign by securing 12 points following a comfortable three-day victory against the West Indies at Windsor Park. The hosts were outmatched on all fronts and succumbed to a heavy innings and 141 run defeat. Their batting performance, in particular, was shambolic, and the team would need to do something remarkable to make a comeback now. India are 1-0 ahead and are firm favorites to wrap up the series at the Queen's Park Oval.

 

TEAMS PREVIEW

West Indies Preview

West Indies seem to be going from bad to worse in every format. After their recent debacle in the World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe, it was expected that they would give a better performance in the Test series at home. However, they were always on the back foot after being bundled out for just 150 in the first innings, with the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja taking 8 wickets between them. Faced with a 271-run deficit, the hosts faced an uphill battle and were ultimately bowled out for 130 runs in their second outing as they struggled against Ashwin and Jadeja once again.

The home side does have some talented batters in Kraigg Brathwaite, Jermaine Blackwood, and Tagenarine Chanderpaul, but would need to be at their best against this Indian bowling attack. 

Alick Athanaze did show some promise in his debut Test, scoring 47 and 28 in the two innings. The left-handed middle-order batter can prove vital in the second Test.

West Indies’ bowlers looked listless and lacked discipline in the first Test. Alzarri Joseph wasn’t at his best, but perhaps the pitch at Queen's Park Oval will provide him with more assistance. Rahkeem Cornwall was impressive with his tight lines, and the off-spinner should do well in this match.

 

West Indies Predicted Playing XI:

Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Raymon Reifer, Jermaine Blackwood, Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Jason Holder, Rahkeem Cornwall, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican

West Indies Actual Playing XI:

Kirk McKenzie, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Alick Athanaze, Jermaine Blackwood, Kemar Roach, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jomel Warrican, Alzarri Joseph, Kraigg Brathwaite

India Preview

India couldn’t have asked for a better start to their tour of the West Indies. Their spinners were all over the West Indian batters, and the batting lineup delivered as well.

Ravichandran Ashwin was the star of the match, picking up 12 wickets for 131 runs. No Windies batter had any answers to the guile and tricks of the wily off-spinner, and we are backing him to produce another superb performance in the next Test. Ashwin was ably supported by left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who ended up taking 5 wickets in the Test. This spin duo has made life miserable for many batting lineups and will prove to be the biggest challenge for the hosts to overcome.

India had to bat only once in the first Test, scoring 421-5 (dec.) thanks to a remarkable 171 on debut by opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and a 103 by captain Rohit Sharma. Yashasvi exudes a sense of calm and confidence in this format and showed plenty of composure when the pitch was tough to bat on. It won’t be surprising if he goes on to get another big score in the series. Virat Kohli (76), too, got some runs under his belt, which is bad news for the West Indies. 

Shubman Gill failed to make an impact in the first Test, but the talented young batter is has been in sensational form this year and he is our pick for the batter to watch out for in the next Test. 

 

India Predicted Playing XI:

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

India Actual Playing XI:

Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Mukesh Kumar

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

Historically, the Queen's Park Oval’s pitch has favored fast bowlers while offering relatively easier scoring opportunities to the batters in the initial two innings. In contrast to the previous Test match where the ball spun from the first day, the Queen's Park Oval deck is expected to provide some assistance to the pace bowlers, especially during the early hours and with the new ball. Spinners too will have a say at the venue.

From Thursday (July 20) to Monday (July 24), the weather forecast predicts showers on all days, and days 2 and 4 are anticipated to have more rainfall.

Venue Details

The average first-inning score at Queen's Park is 302, dropping to 168 in the fourth. West Indies and India have played 13 matches at the venue, with both winning three games and drawing seven. The last Test match between the two teams in 2016 at the site finished in a draw.

Toss: To Bat

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