Opener Murali Vijay has been ruled out of the second Test against against the West Indies to be played at Sabina Park. The opener has been missing action since being hit on the thumb by Shannon Gabriel on the first morning of the series, and didn’t field for a single minute in the first Test.
K.L. Rahul is expected to replace the Tamil Nadu batsman.
Bolstered by the comprehensive win in the series opener, an upbeat India will look to assert its supremacy over an inexperienced West Indies with yet another commanding show in the second Test, starting here on Saturday.
The ‘Men In Blue’ made a confident start to the 2016-17 season, recording India’s biggest win outside the subcontinent when they thrashed the hosts by an innings and 92 runs in the opening Test.
'Rahul is in good form'
Skipper Virat Kohli has said that the batsmen will have to take more responsibility in the second Test. “We believe that our batsmen are good enough to tackle any pace and bounce that West Indies’ bowlers have. The plan is to go out there and play with the determination and focus that we showed in the first game. Obviously we need to be wary of the conditions a bit more because it is a ground that is result oriented,” Kohli said.
There hasn’t been a draw at Sabina Park since 1998 and India won by 63 runs on their last visit in 2011.
“Rahul has been in a very good zone. He scored runs in the practice games, he scored in Zimbabwe and he had a great IPL season. I think that was the turnaround for confidence as far as he’s concerned. Last year, he had a good tour to Sri Lanka, got a hundred there, but again he didn’t play against South Africa,” Kohli said.
“It’s more a case of a guy waiting for an opportunity. He wants to play. He’s batting really well and wants to make it count. He wants to get big runs. I’m confident of his abilities. He’s pretty compact, he’s a solid opener and he’s a great fielder as well. He gives you that wicket-keeping option as well, in case something happens to Saha,” said Kohli.
