The biggest gain for India from Rajkot is Prithvi Shaw’s batting. With a tough tour to Australia coming up, the youngster has certainly sealed the spot for Down Under. Prithvi won the Man-of-the-match award and Kohli praised him as “outstanding”
Rajkot: India enjoyed a two-day break after demolishing the West Indies by an innings and 272 runs inside three days in the first Test here on Saturday.
Virat Kohli and his men called the shots throughout the game and went 1-0 up in the two-Test rubber. The second match starts in Hyderabad on October 12.
Also read: 5 things West Indies need to do to stand any chance in Hyderabad Test
Here are five positives for India, from the victorious Rajkot Test. The margin of win was also India’s biggest in the five-day format.
If there is one Indian player who will remember this Test against the West Indies for a very long time, it is the 18-year-old Prithvi. He announced his arrival on the big stage with a superb century. After Kohli won the toss and chose to bat first, Prithvi faced the first ball of the match and showed no nerves of Test debut. He batted with ease, most of times aggressively as he hit a 154-ball 134 with 19 fours. The Mumbai right-hander was hailed as the “next big thing” in Indian cricket and he lived up to all the hype as he hit a century on debut. He had done the same on his Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy debuts. The biggest gain for India from Rajkot is Prithvi’s batting. With a tough tour to Australia coming up, the youngster has certainly sealed the spot for Down Under. Prithvi won the Man-of-the-match award and Kohli praised him as “outstanding”.
There has been a lot of debate over the all-rounder’s slot in the Indian Test team. Hardik Pandya had been preferred for that role and he had done well in patches. Now, with him sidelined due to injury, it was up to Jadeja to shine. And he did it in style. The left-hander struck his maiden Test century on his home ground. He hit 100 not out at number seven and later took four wickets in the match. He too came in for praise from captain Kohli. Whenever he has got a chance, Jadeja has done well for the team, as seen during the recently concluded Asia Cup, where he made a comeback to the ODI side. In the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval last month, he scored 86 not out and 13 to add to his seven wickets in the match. This was after he failed to get a chance in the previous four Tests of the series. In home conditions, he has been impressive and once again he proved it, this time with both bat and ball.
Young Rishabh Pant showed his batting class in England with his maiden Test century. He could have added a second in Rajkot but failed on 92, going for a big shot. Known for his aggressive batting, the left-hander from Delhi displayed the same and later perished in the same way. His 84-ball 92 with eight fours and four sixes is a good sign ahead of the Australian tour. It is paramount for all wicketkeepers to contribute with the bat, and now Pant is perfect for role.
In unfavourable conditions of England, left-arm chinaman Kuldeep was played and later dropped from the squad. He struggled with the Dukes ball and once back home, he excelled with the SG cherry. The youngster bamboozled the Windies batsmen in the second innings, registering his maiden Test five-wicket haul, which paved way for India’s quick victory. Kuldeep has regained his confidence after the debacle in England. Now India have a dependable spin trio in Jadeja, Kuldeep and senior partner Ravichandran Ashwin.
India’s premier spinner Ashwin returned to Test cricket by bagging six wickets. He had to aggravated his hip injury and missed the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval last month. His unavailability led to Jadeja getting a chance in England. Now, Ashwin is back to his best, after working hard at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. After the match, Ashwin was happy with his effort. “I wanted to get my drift back, my rhythm back as it's difficult to come back after an injury. I was a bit apprehensive yesterday, feeling a lot better today. I had a good stint at NCA and before that in England,” he said.
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