PTI
Port of Spain, August 17: On a high after sealing the series with comprehensive victories in two of the first three Tests, an upbeat India will be aiming to complete a 3-0 rout in order to retain their No. 1 Test ranking when they meet a listless West Indies in the final match of the series, starting here Thursday.
With skipper Kohli making it clear that he will like to have Rohit Sharma at No. 5 and promote himself to No 3, it is unlikely that the core batting line-up will have any change in the final Test.
However with Shikhar Dhawan not having much of a performance barring his 84 in the opening Test, it will be interesting to see if Murali Vijay, who was dropped in the last game despite being fit makes a comeback in the playing XI. The opener’s thumb injury has fully healed.
Even the five-pronged bowling attack could undergo change. In a long season, where India play another 13 Tests, the workload for the likes of Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami needs to be managed. One of them could be given a breather, with a rebounding chance given to Umesh Yadav, or even newbie Shardul Thakur could get a look-in, if Kohli is in experimental mode.
Away from these permutations and combinations, India look set in their plans. Their energy will be focused on attaining consistency, and as the skipper put it, in expressing themselves. “No question of relaxing, we will play to the best of our abilities and express ourselves.”
West Indies, meanwhile, will be hoping for some level of improvement in their play after yet another meek surrender in the last Test.
