World Test Championship finalists India are at a crossroads in their red-ball journey and the upcoming series against the West Indies should provide answers to a number of key questions.
India's Test team has witnessed a discernible drop in performance, especially after fitness issues to key players. Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant formed the backbone of the team but long-term injuries to both, plus the unavailability of many core team players over the past two seasons, has resulted in inconsistent results.
Now, they will be without Test veteran Cheteshwar Pujara, with young batsmen Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad entrusted with taking team forward, along with Shubman Gill.
Captain Rohit Sharma, 36, and Virat Kohli, 34, are also nearing the twilight of their careers, which means the next cycle of Indian cricket has more or less begun.
The bowling line-up is a bigger issue, though. India have decided to rest Mohammad Shami, with fellow veterans Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav no longer in the reckoning.
That has left Mohammad Siraj, who has played 19 Tests, as the leader of an inexperienced pace attack that includes Jaydev Unadkat and Navdeep Saini, who have played two Tests each, and the uncapped Mukesh Sharma.
India will therefore need significant contributions from their batsmen when the first Test begins in Roseau on Wednesday.
The two-Test series will also allow Rohit's team to move past their loss to Australia in the World Test Championship final last month.
While they remain the world's top-ranked Test team, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane said there would be no complacency against a West Indies side who beat England in successive home series.
"We, as a team, respect West Indies. They are not the ones to be taken lightly," said the batsman, who recently returned to the Test side.
"West Indies has performed well at home during the last couple of years or so, especially in Tests. We are looking to give 100 per cent and backing our game plan and strengths."
Left-handed batsman Jaiswal is set to make his Test debut in place of Pujara at number three. Jaiswal has built a reputation as a hard-hitting batter in the Indian Premier League, an approach that stands in stark contrast to Pujara's obdurate style.
"I am so happy for Jaiswal, he has worked so hard, scored runs for Mumbai in domestic cricket and in the IPL," Rahane said.
"He is an exciting talent and the way he is batting is nice."
The hosts, meanwhile, will see the series as a chance to lift the mood after they failed to qualify for this year's 50-overs World Cup in India, a new low for the two-time champions.
"It's important to start well," home captain Kraigg Brathwaite.
"We generally know how the surfaces will play, and we already know India's team, so it's important from now to mentally prepare, and understand the plans we want both as a bowling unit and as batters."
After the two Tests, India will play three ODIs and five T20s in the Caribbean.
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
