Now that the series against England is over and Team India got their much anticipated revenge after their stunning win in the recently concluded ODI series, focus has now shifted to their next Test series against West Indies beginning Novembers 6 at Ferozshah Kotla in New Delhi.
The forthcoming series starting next Sunday is crucial for Dhoni’s men not only to heal the wounds they had in Test series against England but also get back into winning ways before facing Australia in their own backward in the last week of December.
The high point is the return of Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Sachin Tendulkar. The comeback of the big three in the Test side will not only boost the Team’s confidence but also help the team prepare better before they face Kangaroos.
When India take on Windies later this week all eyes will be on Sehwag as he will be making a comeback in any form of international cricket after recovering his shoulder injury. His form will be crucial for the Team’s fortune. The team was certainly missing his powerful hitting when they were down and out in the four Test series in England.
With an average of 52.41 in 88 Test matches so far, the nawab of Najafgarh is surely hungry to make a run feast comeback. Since the Test series starting in front of his home crowd and the type of aggression he is known for, his fans hope to watch him at his destructive best once again.
A lot is once again expected from Yuvraj Singh who has just played in 35 Tests in last eight years. With the batting average of 35.60 and only three centuries under his belt the left handed southpaw is still to cement his place in the national side in the longest version of the game. Once Sourav Ganguly retired he was given lot of opportunities but he could not make the most of them. A century on debut by Suresh Raina against Sri Lanka last year also kept him out of contentions. After Ganguly is long gone, his position in the middle order is still vacant, and now it is for Yuvraj is grab the opportunity he was long waiting.
As Gambhir also returning to the Test squad, Indian fans will once again have the pleasure to see Gambhir-Sehwag combination opening the innings for India. With the little Master Sachin also back in Test squad the batting line us is looking as strong as before. One hope Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman may not have to fight lonely battles as they had to in England tour.
If the Team performs well against Windies it will be an ideal preparation for them before their series against Australia, which will once again bring them in contention for the top slot in Test cricket.
