India vs West Indies: Virat Kohli grinds it out at the nets - Watch

India will once again seek home comfort when they take on an inexperienced West Indies unit in the two-Test series starting on Thursday.

Back after a short break, India skipper Virat Kohli has been grinding it out at the nets as he prepares for the first Test against the West Indies, starting at Rajkot on Thursday. Kohli looked in fine flow on Wednesday as BCCI posted a video of the captain fine-tuning his batting skills at the nets.

India coach Ravi Shastri with captain Virat Kohli at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.(PTI)

The post read: “Captain @imVkohli looking on point on the eve of the 1st Test against West Indies #TeamIndia #INDvWI”

 

Scarred by yet another overseas debacle, India will once again seek home comfort when they take on an inexperienced West Indies in the two-Test series, aiming to get their combinations in order before the gruelling assignment in Australia.

India have endured series losses in South Africa and England over the last nine months but have still managed to remain the number one side in the longest format. A comprehensive beating of the West Indies at this stage can only serve as a morale-booster to the Virat Kohli-led side which faces another stern test with the Australia tour beginning late November.

There is not much to gain for India against the eighth-ranked West Indies who, on their part, will be trying their best to make an impression in one of the toughest places to tour and against a side which they have not beaten since 2002.

The Indian team was criticised for making too many changes in England and as it panned out, openers Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan lost their place in the side. Even Karun Nair, who warmed the bench in England, was ignored for the West Indies, triggering an intense selection debate.

What is certain is that a brand new opening combination will be tried in the next couple of games with K L Rahul opening with exciting uncapped talent Prithvi Shaw. But even if the move works, it will not be a decisive indicator of the partnership working in Australia given the drastic difference in batting conditions.

(With PTI inputs)