Published: Jun 06, 2011, 01:35 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 25, 2014, 04:13 PM (IST)
By Dileep V
A new-look Indian team takes on the West Indies in a five-match ODI series starting today. India’s confidence will be high after a comfortable victory in the one-off T20 International match. It augurs well for India that it was a virtual second team who won against the West Indies.
Head to head
West Indies and India have met each other 96 times in ODIs, with West Indies registering 54 wins to India’s 39. West Indies have an impressive record against India at home winning 16 of the 24 matches played. Since 2000, India have a better record winning 18 of the 33 matches.
The Queen’s Park Oval at Port of Spain, Trinidad is a lucky ground for West Indies, where they have triumphed seven times against India’s two. Both the teams share two wins each in Sabina Park at Kington, Jamaica
| Matches | WI win | India win | No Result | Tie | |
| Overall | 96 | 54 | 39 | 2 | 1 |
| In West Indies | 24 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| Since 2000 | 33 | 14 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| At Port of Spain | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| At Sabina Park | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
West Indies and India have played six ODI series in the Caribbean Islands with West Indies winning four. India’s series win have come more recently – on the 2002 and 2009 tours.
| Year of tour | Matches | WI win | India win | Series winner |
| 1983 | 3 | 2 | 1 | WI |
| 1989 | 5 | 5 | 0 | WI |
| 1997 | 4 | 3 | 1 | WI |
| 2002 | 3 | 1 | 2 | Ind |
| 2006 | 5 | 4 | 1 | WI |
| 2009 | 4 | 1 | 2 | Ind |
Opportunity for new players to make name
Ramnaresh Sarwan is the only player from both sides to have crossed 1000 runs. He has an excellent record against the Indians, piling up 1079 runs at 63.47 per match. Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Bravo are the only other players to have played at least 10 ODIs against India. Ravi Rampaul has nine wickets in four matches against India. The last time he played against them in the league match of World Cup, he grabbed a five wicket haul. Among the present lot, Dwayne Bravo has the highest number of wickets against India. He has 21 wickets in 15 matches at a healthy average of 26.52.
With a young team at disposal, it’s only natural that not many of the Indian players would have had the experience of playing against West Indies. Only Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina have played more than 10 matches. Raina, the captain, has had a average record against them. He has scored a paltry 195 runs in 10 matches with no half centuries. Virat Kohli is the only batsman in the present squad to have registered a fifty against the Windies. Harbhajan has taken 29 wickets but at a high average of 35. Munaf Patel has six wickets, while Yusuf Pathan’s off spin has fetched him four wickets.
Low and slow pitches
The West Indies pitches have become slow especially since the turn of the century. The average scores in most of the grounds is below 250. At Port of Spain, Windies have an average score of 248, while for India it is 231. India has never played a game at the Sir Vivan Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua. The stadium was inaugurated in 2006 and has an average score in excess of 250. The Sabina Park is where India (254) have an average score higher than West Indies (242).
With the pitches playing slow and low, spinners will play a major role. That’s where India has an advantage over West Indies.
| Ground | Matches | Batting 1st and winning | Batting 2nd and winning | Avg Score |
| Queen’s Park Oval,
Port of Spain
|
59 | 25 | 30 | 237 |
| Sir Vivian Richards Stadium,
North Sound
|
8 | 4 | 4 | 257 |
| Sabina Park,Kingston | 30 | 12 | 16 | 233 |
(Dileep.V is a Scouser fan, Sports freak, Movie buff, Laggard Quizzer and dreams of setting foot on Anfield one day)
