West Indies vs India 2019: Four Indian players who must perform in the Test series

India have so far dominated the tour of West Indies by whitewashing them in both in theT20 and ODI series. The Men in Blue have been too hot to handle for the hosts as they decimated them in all departments of the game.

Now it's time for the two-match test series which will start from August 22 at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua. The significance of bilateral Test series has changed completely after the introduction of the ICC Test Championship. Each series win will take teams closer to becoming the first Test Championship winner.

The Indian team for the Test matches will be a little different than the team in limited-overs cricket. A few Test specialist players will make their way into the team along with players who feature in all formats of the game. There are a few players who will be desperate for a good performance in this series due to previous failures.

Let's have a look at four such players who needs to make a mark in this Test series.

---

#4 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin.

Ravichandran Ashwin is India's no.1 spinner in Test Cricket and is also one of the best spinners in world cricket at the moment. He could easily have been the world's best spinner if his performance in overseas conditions were half as good as his performances at home.

Ashwin is so far the first-choice spinner for Virat Kohli in Test cricket but if he continues to disappoint overseas than it may no longer be the case. Ravindra Jadeja is also a very good option as a spinner along with his all-round abilities. So whenever India has to play with just one spinner in the team Ashwin may no longer be an automatic selection.

Ashwin's last Test series was in Australia where he played in the first Test match of the Border-Gavaskar trophy. He bowled beautifully in Adelaide and helped India win that match. His match figures were 6 for 149. Unfortunately, he picked up an injury and Kuldeep Yadav was drafted in.

Ashwin has done pretty well in the Caribbeans on previous tours. He has picked up 17 wickets in four matches at an average of 23.18 along with two 5-fers. He has also scored two centuries in the country. He again needs to deliver for his team and win the trust of team management.

Yadav is breathing down Ashwin's neck.

#3 KL Rahul

KL Rahul.

KL Rahul has to be one of the most debatable cricketers in the Indian team at the moment. He is now a regular in the team in all formats of the game. But if we have a look at his form in the past one year it has not been that impressive at all.

The right-handed opening batsman from Karnataka is very lucky to be still in the team after his last three dreadful series. In his last three-Test series against England, West Indies and Australia he averaged 29.90, 18.50 and 11.40 respectively. Rahul's stats in the last year suggests that India has been struggling to find a stable opening pair in Test cricket.

Rahul is a very talented cricketer who has shown his brilliance in patches. He has never been consistent except his early days in international cricket. He has been backed up by the team management but he has yet to deliver. After that 149 in England in 2018, Rahul has got nothing to show.

With no Prithvi Shaw in the team, this is a perfect opportunity for Rahul to make an impact. This may also be the last opportunity for him as the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Shaw are waiting in the wings.

Seas the day 🌅 pic.twitter.com/IUp5X13doB

— K L Rahul (@klrahul11) August 19, 2019

#2 Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane.

Ajinkya Rahane is a middle-order batsman and also the vice-captain of the Indian test team. He is a technically correct batsman who can bat for very long periods . He has scored runs all over the world but in recent times his form hasn't been that great.

Rahane last scored a test century in August 2017 in Sri Lanka where he played a match-winning inning of 132. But it's been two years now since that heroics. A batsman of his caliber is expected to make big runs more often.

The Indian top-order, especially the opening partnership, has struggled in recent times. So it all comes down to the trio of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Rahane to hold the team together. Pujara and Kohli have been brilliant in all conditions but Rahane has struggled to play the really big innings.

Hanuma Vihari is waiting in the wings.

Rahane has been scoring runs in bits and pieces and making a useful contribution at times but what India needs from their No.5 is to play some long innings. He is scoring the 70s and 80s but couldn't get past that in recent time. With Rohit Sharma and Hanuma Vihari waiting in the dugout India's vice-captain must play a match-winning innings now.

The men that matter have been patient with Rahane, but for how long, one wonders.

#1 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma.

Rohit Sharma is a phenomenal cricketer in ODI and T20 cricket. He is one of the best in limited-overs format but is somehow still struggling to find his feet in Test cricket. It is very hard to believe that a batsman with such class is not able to make a mark in the highest format of the game.

Rohit Sharma made his test debut in 2013 against West Indies in India and scored two back-to-back centuries in first two matches. It looked like he is going to rule in Test cricket as well but that wasn't the case. Rohit has struggled after his debut series and eventually lost his place in the test team.

Rohit has made several comebacks into the Test team but without much success. His last Test series was in Australia where he played in the first two matches but unfortunately got injured and couldn't play the whole series.

Hanuma Vihari has done pretty well batting at no.6 for India in recent times but the team management will prefer Rohit Sharma ahead of him. So Rohit must deliver with the bat and live up to the expectations of the selectors in this series.