Pitch report: Queen's Park Oval, Trinidad

It's a result venue, often by fairly heavy margins. Teams tend to bat first, to make use of the early pace before it fades and the spin kicks in.

Established: 1896
Capacity: 25,000
Floodlights: Yes
Ends: Brian Lara Pavilion End, Media Centre End
Home Team: Trinidad & Tobago
Head Groundsman: Brian Davis
Test History: 59 (19 Home Wins, 18 Away Wins, 22 Draws)
Last 10 Tests: 2 Home Wins, 6 Away Wins, 2 Draws
Last 10 Tosses: 8 Bat First (4 Wins, 2 Loss, 2 Draw), 2 Bowl First (1 Win, 1 Loss)

Overview

Many believe that the ground in Port of Spain is the most picturesque setting for cricket in the Caribbean, and one of the more aesthetically pleasing in the world, with the Northern Hills giving the stadium an impressive backdrop.

Not surprisingly then, the local fans enjoy their cricket, with the leader of the local brigade being a character known fondly as 'Blue Food'.

It is the oldest cricket stadium in the region and became the 20th ground to host Test cricket when the West Indies played England in 1930. Of all the venues in the Caribbean, Queen's Park Oval has hosted the most Test matches.

The lowest West Indian score in Test cricket at the ground is 51 scored against Australia in 1999. However, England's 46 all out in 1994 is the lowest total by any nation here.

Last Time Out

The most recent Test here was in mid-2014, when New Zealand lost by 10 wickets in the afternoon of day five. The Kiwis opted to bat first, and were bowled out for 221 thanks to Jerome Taylor's four-fer.

Tom Latham's 82 was the only score of note, and the Windies bettered that by a long way, with Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo scoring centuries. They made 460, and Ish Sodhi took four wickets with spin.

The Kiwis then made 331 all out, again no century to be seen, and the hosts needed just 93 runs to win. Chris Gayle smacked 80 of those, as though it were a T20, including six sixes.

Happy Hunting Ground

There's not much to speak of here for either side. The current Windies side is inexperienced in general, so the tons Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo scored here last time are the best efforts recently. If Chris Gayle were playing, he'd be the best, with 537 runs in nine Tests.

Bowling-wise, Kemar Roach and Jerome Taylor have the best record here, but Roach was not picked and JT has retired. Sulieman Benn has 13 wickets in two matches as well.

India last played here in 2002, so none of the current players have played a Test here.

They Said

Denesh Ramdin: "It was a fantastic win. The conditions were tough for the bowlers. The pitch was placid, it was one in which you had to keep working well."

Weather Forecast

It's set to be hot all five days, around 30 degrees, but there could be showers every day too. Hopefully the rain won't have too great an effect on the game.

Conclusion

It's a result venue, often by fairly heavy margins. Teams tend to bat first, to make use of the early pace before it fades and the spin kicks in.

The Windies are in dire form, even worse against spinners, so unless they can decimate the Indians with the new ball, and hope their spinners are effective, it could be another win for the batting-superior visitors.