‘Bhai isse acha humari gali mei khel lo’ – Fans react as first look of pitch in Windsor Park Dominica surface ahead of first Test between India and West Indies

Rohit Sharma’s men are all set to take on the West Indies in a multi-format tour starting July 12, Wednesday. The two teams will play two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is, a few of which will also take place in Florida making it a tour of the West Indies and the USA. The first Test will be played at Windsor Park in Dominica from July 12. This Test series also marks the first chance for both teams to open their accounts in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25.

As such, ahead of the first Test, a rough look at the playing surface surfaced online. At first sight, it looks like a track that would help bowlers. Historically, the pitch at Dominica has been spin-friendly. Similar outcomes can be expected in the upcoming test. The pitch has patches of grass and looks damp. The only worry is how it would fare as the days tick down.

Here’s the viral image:

Here’s what Rohit Sharma said ahead of the first Test against West Indies

“Indian cricket will always face this challenge because we play a lot of cricket, so obviously we have to manage players, rotate them, and give them enough breaks. When they return, we want them fresh. We need to be wary of the tournaments ahead of us; there is a World Cup coming, so we have to keep that in mind too. We do not have the luxury to focus on one particular series, we have to look ahead also. We have to see which player is needed where. That is why we’ve had to rotate players, and then the new players come. It is a good thing also in a way as others are getting a chance,” Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said ahead of the first Test.

Here are the squads for the two teams:

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.

West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (vice-captain), Joshua Da Silva (wicket-keeper), Alick Athanaze, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Jomel Warrican.

Here’s how fans reacted:

https://twitter.com/vipintiwari952/status/1679111712916783104

https://twitter.com/Andromeda0z/status/1679110547315507201

https://twitter.com/lfcab17/status/1679110896176734208