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West Indies pull off a surprise selection: Who is Anderson Phillip in the 2nd Test vs India?
Anderson Phillip made his Test debut in 2022 against Bangladesh and played only two matches that year. He was then recalled to the Test team in 2025 again.
West Indies made a couple of changes in their Playing XI against India in the ongoing second Test match at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. After getting decimated in the opening Test, Windies decided to bring in Tevim Imlach and Anderson Phillip, replacing Brandon King and Johann Layne. Meanwhile, Phillip's inclusion did drew some eyebrows as before the Delhi clash, he had played only three Tests where he failed to make much of an impact.
Before the start of Friday’s Test, right-arm pacer Phillip had managed just four wickets in his previous three matches, averaging 72.50 with the ball. However, he did show some promise with the bat, scoring a handy 43 runs against Australia in Adelaide from the lower order.
He made his Test debut in 2022 against Bangladesh and played only two matches that year. The right-arm pacer was then recalled to the Test team in 2025 again.
Phillip has also played five ODIs for the Windies, in which he claimed four scalps. He got his maiden ODI call-up against Sri Lanka in March 2021. However, he is yet to make his T20I debut for his national side, while he has played in franchise league tournaments.
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He has an impressive record in domestic first-class cricket, with 155 wickets in 47 matches at an average of 25.27.
West Indies make two changes in playing XI vs India
Meanwhile, at toss, West Indies skipper Roston Chase shared insights into his team’s mindset after winning the toss, stressing the importance of batting through the day on a dry surface. He highlighted key tactical changes, including the inclusion of Anderson Phillip and Tevin Imlach to strengthen both pace and spin departments.
"We were batting first as well, the pitch looks dry, so not too worried. Obviously, we had some meetings and we had some deep discussions as batters. And something that came up in meetings, we want to really try to bat the whole day and bat 90 overs. That's something that we're really looking forward to doing. I just think we need to stay positive, in the present, and just play every ball on merit and not worry about what's happened before. Yeah, two changes, King out and Johann Layne out, Tevin Imlach in and Anderson Phillip in. 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. And also - Imlach - he's a good player of spin coming from Guyana and used to these kind of low turning tracks. So we think he'll be a good fit for this wicket," Roston Chase said at the toss.
