The first India vs West Indies Test will be played from October 2.
A week before West Indies men’s cricket team kicks off the India Test series, they have suffered a massive blow. One of their key pacers, Shamar Joseph is set to miss the tournament.
Part of the ICC World Test Championship, the India vs West Indies series will be a two-game affair. The first Test will take place at Ahmedabad from October 2nd while the second match is slated to be played in Delhi from October 9th.
The 26-year-old speedster is set to miss the India tour due to an undisclosed injury. Cricket West Indies (CWI) took to X, formerly Twitter, to announce the unfortunate news.
The medical team will reevaluate Joseph ahead of the Bangladesh series, which includes three ODIs and three T20Is. With that assignment to begin from October 18, Joseph has three weeks to get himself fit.
For West Indies, this comes as a big setback as the Guyanese speedster has been a big part of their pace attack. He has claimed 51 wickets in just 11 Tests at an exceptional average of 21.66 with four five-wicket hauls.
ALSO READ:
Although a big loss, West Indies have an able replacement for Joseph. The 22-year-old Johann Layne has been making waves in domestic cricket and was rewarded with an opportunity to travel to India.
Yet to make his international debut, Layne has an excellent record in First Class cricket. He has 66 wickets to his credit from 19 games at 22.28 runs apiece. The right-arm pace all-rounder was magnificent in the West Indies Championship this year. He took 27 scalps from six matches at an average of 15.88 with two five-wicket hauls.
Layne is highly rated in the West Indies cricket fraternity, with the likes of Ian Bishop singing high praises of him. With Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales as the frontline pacers, it will be interesting to see if Layne gets his maiden cap.
West Indies Squad (Updated): Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Johann Layne, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
