Team India ready for Test series, hands open in practice match

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India has to play the first test match in Antiga from 22 to 26 August. This will be the first match for the two teams under the World Test Championship.

The three-day warm-up match played at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antiga between India and West Indies-A cricket teams was a draw. Batting first after winning the toss, India declared their first innings for 297 runs for 6 wickets with the help of Cheteshwar Pujara (100) retired not out and Rohit Sharma (68).

After this, the Indian bowlers stole the Caribbean team for 181 runs, performing brilliantly. Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, and Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets each from India.

India has to play the first Test match at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (North Sound, Antiga) from 22 to 26 August. This will be the first match for the two teams under the World Test Championship.

By the end of the second day of the practice match, India had scored 54 runs at the loss of one wicket to take a 200-run lead. On Monday, Ajinkya Rahane scored 54 and Hanuma Vihari scored 64 runs from India.

The Indian team had declared their second innings by scoring 188 runs for five wickets in 78 overs. Akeem Fraser took two wickets from West Indies-A side. After this, India took three wickets of the hosts for a total of 47 runs in the second innings. For India, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took one wicket each.

The special thing of this match is that before the Test match with West Indies from 22 August, Indian batsmen and bowlers got plenty of practice. When Pujara announced his form by scoring a century, Rahane and Vihari expressed confidence of the Indian middle-order staying strong with the help of half-centuries.