Published: Aug 23, 2016, 11:05 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 23, 2016, 06:29 PM (IST)
West Indies lost the four-Test series against India, by 2-0 at home. Nothing went the West Indies’ way barring some resistance in the second Test at Jamaica, where they saved an improbable game from impending jaws of defeat. The final Test ended in a draw, the drainage and equipments at Port-of-Spain weren’t sufficient enough to dry the wet outfield to host a play. But one could have imagined India romping home to another victory and making it a lead of 3-0 had the rain gods showed enough mercy. With the series coming to an end, these are the marks out of 10 for the West Indian players on the basis of their performance throughout the series: Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs West Indies, 4th Test match
Kraigg Brathwaite — 6/10 (Matches: 4, Runs: 200, Ave: 33.33 50s: 2, 100s 0)
Brathwaite had a decent run at the top and got his team off to a flying start on couple of occasions but lacked support from the other end. He scored couple of fifties and has the ingredients to excel in whites. Brathwaite showed good technique and was pleasing to watch when he got going.
Rajendra Chandrika — 2.5/10 (Matches: 2, Runs: 53, Ave: 13.25, 50s: 0, 100s 0)
Chandrike had a miserable run in a couple of Tests as he failed to get runs at the top. He had a golden opportunity to cement his side in the Test side but failed big time. His poor form saw him getting dropped in the third Test, that made way for Leon Johnson. ALSO READ: West Indies batting vs India: The drastic improvement
Leon Johnson — 2/10 (Matches: 2, Runs: 32, Ave: 10.66, 50s: 0, 100s 0)
Johnson failed to justify his selection ahead of Chandrika as he squandered three big chances to make an impact. His failure at the top put additional pressure on the middle-order.
Darren Bravo — 3.5/10 (Matches: 4, Runs: 139, Ave: 19.85, 50s: 1, 100s 0)
Bravo’s breakdown at three was probably one of the massive reasons behind West Indies’ batting downfall. He is one their consistent batsmen and a lot of team’s success rides on how he fares. Bravo was nicked at crucial moments and that added further fuel to the teams misery. He only found his strokes coming in the third Test with a fifty. Apart from that single innings, there was nothing substantial from the elegant left-hander.
Marlon Samuels — 4/10 (Matches: 4, Runs: 152, Ave: 25.33, 50s: 1, 100s 0)
Samuel did not live up to the expectations and was expected to do a lot better than what he did being a veteran in the side. He has immense experience on his shoulders and well capable to weather the early storm that he failed to do so. His failure at four, left his team at sixes and sevens. His early dismissal exposed the inexperienced middle-order. ALSO READ: West Indies in Tests: Clueless, erratic, directionless and indisciplined
Jermaine Blackwood — 4.5/10 (Matches: 4, Runs: 146, Ave: 24.33, 50s: 2, 100s 0)
After a pair in the first Test, Blackwood adopted an aggressive approach at Jamaica, which surprisingly worked out for him. He smashed couple of fifties in both the innings at a blistering strike rate and played a vital role saving West Indies in the Test. Blackwood went defensive again in the third Test and as a result fell early.
Roston Chase — 5.5/10 (Matches: 4, Runs: 190, Ave: 38.00, 50s: 1, 100s 0, Wickets: 8, Ave: 41.75)
Chase played a memorable and one of the finest knocks in the history of West Indies cricket at Jamaica. His contributions in other games were though not fruitful but that one innings gave a glimpse of what he is made of. In the time to come, one can expect Chase to get better and form a core of West Indies batting. His off-spin also came handy as he had eight scalps in the series including a fifer at Jamaica. ALSO READ: Holder sees ‘vast disparity’ between WI’ First-class & international Test cricket
Shane Dowrich — 5/10 (Matches: 4, Runs: 168, Ave: 33.60, 50s: 2, 100s 0)
Dowrich along with Blackwood and Chase provided solidity to West Indies’ middle-order. He was unbeaten on 57 in the first Test but needed to replicate it on a regular basis. He played an equally important innings of 74 on Day 5 of the Jamaica Test. Dowrich looks promising. His wicketkeeping skills also looked commendable.
Devendra Bishoo — 3.5/10 (Matches: 3, Runs: 69, Ave: 23.00, 50s: 0, 100s 0, Wickets: 4, Ave: 67.50)
Bishoo was the frontline spinner and a lot of hopes were pinned to him. But the wily leg-spinner bowled erratically and leaked too many runs. He lacked control and barely picked any wickets. On the other hand, his counterpart, Ravichandran Ashwin, won India matches single-handedly. He played one good innings with the bat at Antigua in a lost cause.
Miguel Cummins — 5.5/10 (Matches: 3, Wickets: 9, Ave: 21.00)
Cummins kept improving with every outing, that shows a good sign for young bowler. After a dry run in the Jamaica Test, Cummins came out hard at Gros Islet. He had three wickets to his name in the first innings and ran through the Indian line up in the second, picking six key wickets. He has some serious pace to trouble the batsman and will be the man to watch out for. ALSO READ: Samuels the worst ‘most experienced’ player in any Test team?
Shannon Gabriel — 3/10 (Matches: 4, Wickets: 5, Ave: 46.00)
Gabriel’s directionless and erroneous bowling did no good to West Indian bowling. He bowled well in patches and lacked precision and penetration.
Special mentions: It wouldn’t be just to judge Alzarri Joseph and Carlos Brathwaite, as both of them got just one game to showcase their talent.
(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.)
