MUMBAI, June 1: Following the shocking 4-1 defeat in the One-Day International series, there is immense interest in how India will now tackle a resurgent West Indies in the four-Test series.
The much-anticipated Test series starts with the first Test in Antigua on Friday, 2nd June. Ten Sports, the world’s number one sports channel for South Asia, will bring to all cricket lovers ball-by-ball live coverage of the series and more.
A live telecast of the first three Test matches will start at 7:30 pm IST, while the final Test, to be played in Jamaica from June 30 to July 4, will begin an hour later. The second and third Test will be played at St. Lucia (June 10-14) and St. Kitts (June 22-26). In addition to the detailed coverage of the series, Ten Sports will also telecast its critically-acclaimed studio show, ‘Straight Drive’. Hosted by Sanjay Manjrekar, the other guests who will be invited to the studio during the Test series are veteran cricketers Ian Chappel, Desmond Haynes, Javagal Srinath, Ian Thomson and Arun Lal.
Cricket fans will be able to feast their eyes on The ‘Straight Drive’ show, considered the finest ever analysis show which will be shown only during the pre-match build-up (for 90 minutes). This will also be shown during the lunch break, and will feature an informative series on the all-time greats of West Indian players as well as ‘Magical Moments’ from the India-West Indies cricket history. featured in this series are Sir Gary Sobers
Among the great West Indians who have been, the three Ws (Clyde Walcott, Sir Everton Weekes, Frank Worrell), the Fearsome Foursome of Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts and Malcolm Marshal, Sir Vivian Richards, and the pace duo of Charlie Griffith and Wesley Hall. These will be anecdotal in nature, featuring several interviews from the players themselves and their contemporaries, as well as restored archival footage.
Magical Moments of the Indo-West Indies cricket history captures edge-of-seat matches like the 1983 World Cup final, the Indian heartbreak at Bridgetown in 1997 (when they failed to chase 120), Sunil Gavaskar’s exploits in 1971 and India’s 1971 Test series victory. This is India’s ninth tour to West Indies, and they are hoping to repeat the magic of the history 1-0 win in 1971.
SCHEDULE OF TEST MATCHES
June 2-6: 1st Test (Antigua); June 10-14: 2nd Test (St. Lucia); June 22-26: 3rd Test (St Kitts); June 30-July 4: 4th Test (Jamaica)
ABOUT TEN SPORTS: Only launched in April 2002, Ten Sports is watched by more viewers than any other sports channel in the Sub-continent. Ten Sports is available in over 48 million households via cable and satellite networks across the world. In just a short span of three years, Ten Sports has also become the world’s biggest producers of cricket. The Channel broadcasts cricket from Sharjah, the West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Morocco throughout the Indian sub-continent and Asia, as well as in Europe and the Middle East Also, Ten Sports has broadcast cricket from India, the World Cup 2003 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2004 in certain territories.
