Team India led by Virat Kohli is all set to commence its campaign in the World Test Championship with the first Test match against West Indies. The hosts are a formidable force in red-ball cricket, especially in home conditions and hence, the challenge will be steep for the Indian side.
However, the visitors are in form after having won the T20I and ODI series and their skipper is in roaring form. In the first match, Kohli has an added incentive to lay a marker for the rest of the series. If he does get to a century, he will join former Australian captain Ricky Ponting to have scored 19 Test tons as a captain. Former South African captain Graeme Smith leads the pack with 25 Test centuries as skipper.
Not only this, but Kohli also has a shot at equalling MS Dhoni's tally of 27 Test wins as a skipper. Currently, India has won 26 matches under Virat Kohli's watch and if they manage to topple Jason Holder's men, Kohli will equal Dhoni's feat.
Kohli on Test cricket
He has always spoken highly about Test cricket and when the Test championship was started, Kohli spoke about how this format gave more significance to each game which will also be more appealing to the audience.
"We all were looking forward to it. We felt like there were a few series in between where after big tours we felt like maybe a one-off Test or a couple of Tests were not apt for the moment. But this gives a lot of context to all kinds of cricket we're going to play," Kohli said about the World Test Championship.
"It will be challenging, but all the more exciting and all the teams I am sure are going to enjoy a lot through this whole journey of the Test Championship," he further added.
India takes on West Indies in a 2-match Test series, the first of which will be played at North Sound, Antigua on Thursday, August 22. The side got good match-practice with a convincing performance against West Indies 'A' in the tour game.
"All the fast bowlers know there is good competition and that everyone is going to get an opportunity. Whoever does well, will get to play more. If we think in that manner, it's good for us because we will try to improve ourselves," fast bowler Umesh Yadav said after the match, which in many ways, is a reflection of the mood in the Indian camp.
