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India vs West Indies: Performance review of Virat Kohli’s team

The Indian tour of West Indies 2016 may have thwarted many fans but it doled out as an ideal podium for them to experiment and figure out their vigour and limitations.

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Virat Kohli poses with the trophy after India's series win in West Indies © AFP
Virat Kohli poses with the trophy after India’s series win in West Indies © AFP

The Indian tour of West Indies 2016 may have thwarted many fans but it doled out as an ideal podium for them to experiment and figure out their vigour and limitations. India clinched the four- Test series with 2-0 but many had expected them to whitewash the susceptible hosts. Some sheer dedication of few West Indian batsmen and nature deprived India from achieving fruitful results as a result of which, Indian descend in the ICC Test rankings after attaining the top spot for a while. Though many pundits of the game opine the Test rankings as a joke but a top spot is no less than a lucrative incentive for the hard working and dedicated cricketers. India now acquire the second spot in the points table with 110 points in their basket just below Pakistan with 111. ALSO READ – India vs West Indies: Visitors marks out of 10

India kicked started their campaign in the Caribbean with a bang and left no stone unturned in their preparations. In the Antigua Test, Indian batting clicked with skipper Virat Kohli leading with example and firing with all guns, he plundered his maiden double ton in Test cricket and the momentum was with his team. Indian bowlers stepped up to the occasion and managed to chip 20 West Indian wickets without much of a hassle.

What was pleasing to the eye was the fact that Indian pacers meant business. Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami wrecked havoc in the first innings to steer India in a dominating position. But it was more of a poor approach by the West Indies’ batsmen as they lacked temperament and played some ordinary cricket. India won the game by an innings and 92 runs and a whitewash looked feasible at this point. ALSO READ – India vs West Indies: Hosts’ marks out of 10

Things started pretty much on a similar note for the hosts at Jamaica, they were rumbled for a mere 196 in the first innings but Jermaine Blackwood showed some nerves of steel. Indian batsmen once again lived up to the expectations with KL Rahul leaving a mark with his 158 along with Ajinkya Rahane smashing a ton to help India post 500.

With rain playing the spoilsport on Day 4, India had a whole day and over 250 runs to chip six Indian wickets to register another scintillating victory but it was not to be. Roston Chase engineered West Indies’ fight back and was equally supported by Blackwood and Shane Dowrich as their side snatched an implausible draw from imminent jaws of defeat.

Indian bowlers ran out of options and looked clueless when the West Indies middle-order actually played some sensible Test cricket. These three sessions raised a lot of questions on Kohli’s approach and the bowling strength of Indian pace battery as they were only able to scalp two wickets in the whole day. This draw prompted few changes in the Indian side for the Gros Islet Test out of which, couple were baffling.

A fully fit Murali Vijay was overlooked while a toiling Cheteshwar Pujara was axed to make way for Rohit Sharma. Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar too made it to the side at the expense of Amit Mishra and Umesh Yadav respectively. India’s top-order suffered big time but Ravichandran Ashwin along with Wriddhiman Saha came to their rescue. Bhuvneshwar justified his selection with a fifer along with Ashwin consistently delivering from the other end.

With almost a day lost due to rains, India were in a worse position than that of at Jamaica. India had just over couple of sessions to chip 10 West Indian wickets and seal the series. Kohli, the belligerent skipper, went for the kill. He attacked and was smart enough to rectify the errors he made in the previous Test. West Indies were bowled out for 108 as India won by 237 runs and sealed the series.

Well, this was the game where India did the unexpected after taking a beating in the second Test. Some better tactics were executed and bowlers were rotated quite well along with astute field placements. It would not be wrong to say that this was the best match of the series.

The Port of Spain Test just saw 22 overs being bowled after which the rain gods did not show enough mercy along with sloppy drainage system, which ultimately cost almost five days of the Test, hence resulting in a draw.

The evolution of Ashwin as a reliable all-rounder could well be a benefitting factor for India, but it would be interesting to see how he fares in conditions which are difficult to bat on. His success with the bat helped the side to play an extra bowler in the line up and his elevation at six was no less than a masterstroke. The five-bowler strategy worked well for India provided the top-order and the all-rounder contributes.

The inclusion of Rohit continues to raise many questions as the right-hander is yet to establish himself in whites, despite being in the international circuit for almost 9 years.

The road ahead for India looks bright and the future is certainly promising. As India is scheduled to play many Tests at home, spin will play a huge role behind their success. With Ashwin being in marvellous form along with canny Mishra and wily Jadeja, visitors will have a tough time touring the Indian subcontinent. The pace battery has some loopholes but one can expect that to be taken care of with the return of Shami and Bhuvneshwar.

Indian batting looks solid and wears a dominant look with a delivering Rahul at the top. It is just a matter of time when Vijay starts getting those desired starts. The concern lies with Pujara as his strength is turning out to be his weakness of late. Pujara has been bidding too much time at the crease, which is surely not what Kohli has been demanding. Will Pujara overcome this? Will he alter his approach? Well, the series against New Zealand will provide the answer. As of now, India are gearing up to take on the world T20 champions, West Indies, for a two-match T20 series in Florida.

(Suraj Choudhari is a reporter with Criclife and CricketCountry. He is an avid follower of the game, and plays the sport at club level. He has a radical understanding about the subtle nuances and intricacies of cricket, and tries to express it through paper and pen.)

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