Injury hit India team races against time to be fully fit ahead of Windies Tour

With Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw battling injury and India searching for stability at the top of the order, Pujara's role at Number three will be crucial in Test matches against Windies

It was an unfortunate exit of India from the ICC World Cup as they lost to New Zealand by a meagre margin of just 18 runs. The dream remained unfulfilled but it's not the dead end. As the men-in-blue return home, their next aim is gearing up for the upcoming tour of West Indies. The Caribbean tour starts with 3 T20Is and as many ODIs after which begins the 2-match Test series which will also mark the grand opening of World Test Championship. India, the World No 1 in Tests, may look favourites against Jason Holder and his men but they need to deal with the injuries that have haunted some of the top players including Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw. Both the Indian openers haven't recovered fully. While Dhawan has been carrying a plaster over his fractured thumb, 19-year-old Prithvi Shaw waiting to get rid of his hip injury. The former U-19 skipper had already suffered a toe injury before he could showcase his batting skills on the Australian soil. And if he doesn't get back on track before catching the flight to the Caribbean, it won't be a good sign for India away from home, once again. "I can't say the exact date when will I retain fitness. But I believe I will be good soon.  I’m working with the physios to get back to fitness. About the preparations, once we arrive in the West Indies, we will access the conditions and will act accordingly, " said Prithvi Shaw at an event. At the same time, there has been news that skipper Virat Kohli may be rested from this tour to the group of West Indian Islands. In that case, the onus would fall on the seniors like the ever dependable Cheteshwar Pujara. With Shikhar Dhawan battling injury and India searching for stability at the top of the order, Pujara's role at Number three will be crucial in holding the middle order together. Speaking at the Sports Enclave in New Delhi, Cheteshwar Pujara said he was looking forward to the upcoming Windies tour and was making all requisite preparations to do gear up to the challenge of the fine tuning his batting to the conditions likely on offer in the Windies. Here's what he said: India would be playing the West Indies in a month-long tour which features 3 T20s, 3 ODIs and 2 Test matches. The Indian team will kick-start its tour of the Caribbean by playing the first T20 at Lauderhill in Florida. The 2nd T20 shall also be played in Lauderhill before the teams clash in the third and final T20 at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. The first of the three ODIs will be played in Providence Stadium in Guyana, followed by the next two ODIs at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad. The first Test between India and West Indies will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua. The second Test will be played at Sabina Park in Jamaica.