Unfamiliar five - Warrican, Pierre among players who can challenge India

The 26-year-old left-hand batter from Dominica has impressed a number of greats from the Caribbean, including Brian Lara and Ian Bishop, as well as those elsewhere. After he made his Test debut at his home ground in 2023, where he made 47 and 28, R Ashwin, who played in that fixture, picked him among a group of players who could dominate the next decade. While Athanze has scored only four fifties in 25 innings, his ceiling is high and he is being seen as a future all-format regular for West Indies.

In the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, he had emerged as the highest run-getter, with 418 runs in six innings at an average of over 100, with Shubman Gill behind him (372 runs in five innings). Athanaze has grown to become one of the better players of spin in this Test squad: he stood up to Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz during his 90 against Bangladesh in North Sound last year.

A left-arm fingerspinner who tosses the ball up and also gets it to fizz through, Jomel Warrican is now West Indies' first-choice specialist spinner, especially after leading West Indies to their first Test win in Pakistan after 34 years with a match haul of nine wickets in Multan in January this year. His pace variations and accuracy stood out during the two-Test series in Pakistan, where he claimed the Player-of-the-Match award for his 19 wickets at an absurd average of nine.

He will, of course, face a stiffer challenge in India and will be expected to bowl long spells in conditions that might be conducive to his style of bowling. He is also West Indies' Test vice-captain and can contribute with the bat lower down the order too.

With Motie getting a break, Khary Pierre, who turned 34 last week, is set to make his Test debut in India as West Indies' second specialist spinner. If he gets his maiden cap in Ahmedabad, he will become the oldest player to debut for West Indies in the longest format since 1973.

Like his senior partner Warrican, Pierre is adept at keeping the stumps in play and varying his pace, though he doesn't give the ball a big rip. His recent form in the West Indies championship - he bagged a chart-topping 41 wickets in 11 innings at an average of 13.56 - strengthened his case for a maiden Test call-up though he isn't exactly young. Pierre works closely with Akeal Hosein, another left-arm spinner from Trinidad, and is a multiple CPL winner with St Lucia Kings and Trinbago Knight Riders. He is also electric in the field, which Jamal Smith, CWI's senior talent manager, acknowledged at a press conference earlier this month.

Brandon King is the CPL's batting royalty - his unbeaten 132 is the highest score in the league and his unbeaten 83 off 50 balls led Jamaica Tallawahs to the title in 2022. He has since become a T20 globetrotter and was recently picked by Joburg Super Kings in the SA20 auction, but is unproven in Test cricket. He has played just three Tests so far and his first-class average of 33.56 is not flash.

But then again, West Indies don't quite have the depth that India and some other countries possess, and with Brathwaite falling out of favour, King, 30, might open the batting along with the returning Chanderpaul in the first Test in Ahmedabad. He is proficient against pace and his biggest challenge will be against India's spinners in potentially spin-friendly conditions. If he manages to counter Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav, he might boost his Test and IPL prospects.

In that Shamar Joseph Test at the Gabba in 2024, Justin Greaves had scored a steady 33 in the second innings and in his next Test, at home, against Bangladesh, he made his maiden Test hundred to go with two wickets.

Greaves, however, hasn't passed 40 in 13 innings since but his seam-ups have provided balance to the XI. Against Australia, he picked up nine wickets in three games and could have a role to play as West Indies' third seamer in India, with Pierre likely to play at the expense of a frontline seamer. Having missed CPL 2025 with injury, Greaves will have to shake off the rust and adapt quickly to Indian conditions.