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Team India will return to their home soil after a tough series in England when the clash against Windies in the first of the two-match Test series at Rajkot starting from October 4 (Thursday).

Meanwhile, India will look to consolidate their position at the top of the rankings. In a bid to that, they have dropped incumbent openers Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan owing to poor form. Prithvi Shaw, who got his debut call for team India for the last two Tests against England, however, didn’t get an opportunity.

However, now with regular openers dropped, he has finally earned his India cap. He has been scoring runs consistently since making the headlines and will look to continue that form in the international arena.

England vs India 2018, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul — Getty Images

Moreover, they have packed the middle-order with Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, and Ajinkya Rahane. They have been the backbone of India’s batting over the past years. With the game returning to home turf, they will have the onus to lead their batting.

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Furthermore, they have brought in three spinners along with two pacers for the Rajkot Test against Windies. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will slot after a long time together. They will also have the support of mystery spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who will look to weave his magic.

Kuldeep Yadav, Test Cricket — Getty Images

Mohammed Shami, who had a good our of England will have his job cut out with both old and new ball. He will have the support of Umesh Yadav, who missed the last few games in England.

Team India will look to take a 1-0 lead while they square off against Windies at Rajkot.

Playing XI for team India for the first Test against Windies:

Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav