India vs West Indies Live Score, 1st Test: Kuldeep Yadav strikes on Test return, unplugs partnership before lunch

Since that extremely damaging series, plenty has happened: India have played two full five-match Test tours in Australia and England, the latter of which saw Shubman Gill take over as full-time captain and mark the start of a new era. It saw Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, and R Ashwin all retire from the format, the old guard bowing out. This is therefore the first home series since those monumental retirements too place, and that means there is something truly poignant about this series beyond just a redemption arc for the Test team.

Playing XIs for India vs West Indies 1st Test

IND XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

WI XI: Tagenarine Chanderpaul, John Campbell, Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, Shai Hope (wk), Roston Chase (c), Justin Greaves, Jomel Warrican, Khary Pierre, Johann Layne, Jayden Seales

Coming to visit are the West Indies who are trying to find some sort of modern identity in Test cricket. Chopping and changing has become the name of the game for the team, and some injuries and some selection calls alike mena it's no different here. Roston Chase will lead a lean and hungry Windies team, who are a level off where India reside but will nonetheless take plenty of heart from their own scrappy performances through the year, as well as India's recent vulnerabilities. The two teams haven't locked horns in the longer formats recently, with the Windies not qualifying for the Champions Trophy, and that will mean this is a team hungry to show that they belong at this level once again.

Ahmedabad plays host to the series opener, Gandhi Jayanti and Dussehra marking day one and the start of this two match series. India want conditions that are challenging for not only their visitors but also themselves, something that will bring seamers into it, as they attempt to get experience under the belt of the pace battery to support Jasprit Bumrah, who cannot and should not have to shoulder the burden himself. There will be no Rishabh Pant for India, as the wicketkeeper continues to rehab for injury, and Dhruv Jurel steps in for him.

A new chapter begins for India in Test matches on home soil, and winning is certainly a prerequisite – but some sort of cohesion in this performance is integral, as the Gill-Gambhir firm want to prove that they can make the nation a fortress for themselves once again.

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