For only the second time in their history, Team India will be playing a Test match at Windsor Park in Dominica as hosts West Indies come calling for the first Test of a two-match series, starting later on Wednesday. In 2011, the venue hosts hosted a Test between West Indies and India for the first time. Now, the two teams square off once again 12 years later, with the last meeting ending in a stalemate. Speaking of the current Indian team, only star batter Virat Kohli is the lone survivor from the side which toured the Caribbean in 2011.
In fact, it was at this venue that Kohli had made his Test debut back in 2011. Back then, Kohli has established himself in 50-over cricket, but was yet to represent the country in whites.
12 years later, he will be playing his 110th Test under the watchful eye of India head coach Rahul Dravid, who was his teammate back then.
Ahead of the first Test, Kohli spoke on his 12-year journey in Test cricket, and also revealed his chat with Dravid, whom he played with at this particular venue in 2011.
"When we went to the dressing room and then practice, I kind of remembered my first series here as a Test player and this is the country where it all started - the Caribbean. And yeah, it is just amazing to be able to come back here 12 years later having played over 100 Test matches, I would never have imagined anything like this. I was his teammate at one point. He was a senior established Test player who we all looked up to. It's quite amazing," Kohli said in a video uploaded by BCCI.
"I told Rahul bhai yesterday as well that 'I'm sure you never would have imagined that 12 years later we would come back to the same venue and you'll be the head coach, while I would have played 100 games'. No one would have guessed that. So I am glad that we are the only two members from the last trip. Still here in different capacities but it's like life has come full circle. Our journeys have been quite amazing," he concluded.
Kohli and Team India are set to embark on a new journey after the World Test Championship (WTC) final heartbreak last month.
On the eve of the start of the first Test, India captain Rohit Sharma said that young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the Indian innings in the Test series against the West Indies since Shubman Gill has expressed his desire to bat at number three on a long term basis.
Shubhman has opened the innings with his skipper since making his Test debut in 2021 against Australia.