Anderson Phillip was one of the two changes in the West Indies squad announced by captain Roston Chase for the second Test in India, starting on Friday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Having played only three Tests before the New Delhi Test, Phillip replaced Johann Layne, who missed the game due to a left shoulder injury.

Phillip made his debut for West Indies in 2022 against Bangladesh. He played another Test against Australia later in the year. He had to wait for another opportunity until 2025 when Phillip was named in the West Indies playing XI against Australia at home.

With a green layer of grass on the pitch, Phillip’s inclusion came as the visitors hopes for a few early wickets with the new ball. However, Chase’s plan flopped as the 29-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago failed to make a mark with the likes of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal playing him easily.

“Just take that Anderson Phillip with the new ball, he’s a good new ball bowler. We think we need to strike early with the new ball,” Chase spoke highly of Phillip during the coin toss.

Why Anderson Phillip is called as West Indies’ secret weapon?

Yet to blossom at the international stage, the right-arm fast bowler made his name at the domestic level, with 155 wickets in over 83 innings at an average of approximately 3.70 per over, which grabbed the eyeballs of the national selectors. To add more to that, Phillips ability to bang the ball hard and pace, make him as one of the brightest stars for the future.

With the willow, Phillip can also add up to as a handy batter down the order. The introduction of Phillip injects speed and a new dynamism in the West Indies pace attack which looked bleak so far. In four matches so far, Phillip has taken just four wickets so far. He is also a gun fielder.

India vs West Indies 2nd Test playing XIs

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

West Indies: John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Alick Athanaze, Shai Hope, Roston Chase(c), Tevin Imlach(w), Justin Greaves, Jomel Warrican, Khary Pierre, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales