Ahead of the first Test against West Indies, Indian vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane said that his side is not going to take the West Indies lightly despite their recent struggles. The Caribbeans has not been able to secure a spot for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 for the first time. 

India will kick off its ICC World Test Championship campaign for 2023-25 with a two-Test series against West Indies, with the first Test from Wednesday in Dominica. 

"We have had good preparation. We played a nice practice match. We as a team respect West Indies. They are not the ones to be taken lightly. West Indies has performed well at home during the last couple of years or so, especially in Tests. We are looking to give our 100 per cent and backing our game plan and strengths," said Rahane in a pre-match press conference.

Rahane also expressed happiness for young Mumbai batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has been called up for the national side for this series and could make his international debut.

"I am so happy for Jaiswal, he has worked so hard, scored runs for Mumbai in domestic cricket and the IPL. He is an exciting talent and the way he is batting is nice. My message to him is that he expresses himself while batting, plays with freedom and does not think much about the fact that he is playing international cricket," he said.

Rahane expressed happiness on his return to the team and his role as vice-captain in the new WTC 2023-25 cycle.

"I am used to this role. I was vice-captain for 4-5 years. I am really happy to be back in the team, really happy to be back as vice-captain. I am still young, still a lot of cricket left in me. My IPL was good, so was my domestic cricket season. Currently, I am really enjoying my cricket. I do not want to think much about future. Now, every match is important, be it for me or from the team's point of view. I am focusing on that," he said.