West Indies tour of India 2025 | First Test Preview and Predictions

India kick off their winter season with a home series against the West Indies, with new skipper Shubman Gill leading the Men in Blue at home for the first time.

Against the Caribbean outfit, Gill & Co will also be looking for their first series win since the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. 

Ahead of the first Test between India and the West Indies, here are match preview and predictions.

West Indies tour of India 2025 | 1st Test | 09:30 IST, October 2–6

From the shortest format to the longest format, Team India are back in action days after their Asia Cup triumph. The likes of Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel are immediately back in action, while the rest of the squad features an up-and-coming crop of players.

Leading India at home for the first time after his baptism of fire in England, Gill will have the veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as his deputy, with the 36-year-old coming into the series as the most experienced player in his camp.

At the top of India’s batting order, we have Gill himself alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul to make up a strong, experienced trio. The middle order will prove to be the hosts’ biggest challenge, however, with the likes of Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Devdutt Padikkal, and Narayan Jagadeesan looking to cement a spot for themselves in the Test setup. Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy will be the all-round options, with Jasprit Bumrah leading a bowling attack consisting of Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna.

The visitors, on the other hand, also have a new-look squad, the majority of which has not played in Indian conditions before. The West Indies are coming into this series on the back of a home series loss to Australia, which included the disappointing 27-all-out innings — one they’ll want to quickly put behind themselves. They are also without their experienced fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, who was ruled out of the series just a few days ago. 

Roston Chase leads an inexperienced West Indies squad, with Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Shai Hope, and Brandon King expected to deliver with the bat. Justin Greaves and the veteran Khary Pierre — who is yet to play a Test — will be crucial in conditions that should suit the slower bowlers. With Joseph ruled out, Jayden Seales will lead the WI bowling attack, with Jomel Warrican set to be key given his recent form. Warrican is also Chase’s deputy for the series, and the team will hope that his performances in Pakistan earlier this year give him the confidence to perform well in the Subcontinent again despite the added responsibility.

The Motera pitch has brought about plenty of runs, while also providing some assistance to the slower bowlers, especially after day 2. Unsurprisingly, India kick off the series as favourites. Expect a lot of runs and some match-turning spells from the spinners in Ahmedabad.

Fantasy XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Alick Athanaze, Shubman Gill, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Jomel Warrican

Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Winners Prediction: India