Published: Jul 21, 2016, 03:45 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 23, 2016, 02:28 PM (IST)
After a successful limited overs-series against Zimbabwe, it is time for Team India to get back into the Test mode against West Indies. Similarly, for the host West Indies, who had an unexpected run in the recently concluded Tri-Nation series against Australia and South Africa, it is time to show some quality performance in cricket’s oldest and longest format. The Caribbean side is full of young and a few new players, while Indian side is also full of young cricketers, with Shardul Thakur being the new face in the side. On the eve of beginning of the four-Test series between West Indies and India in the Caribbean, Abhishek Kumar picks out nine players to watch out for.
1. Roston Chase: This is the first time Chase has been selected in the West Indies Test team and he might make his debut in the very first game as his numbers support his stake for a place. Going by his recent form in domestic cricket, in the recently concluded WICB Professional Cricket League Regional four-day tournament, Chase was the fourth highest run-getter and highest from Barbados with 710 runs in 10 matches at 59.16. Not only this season, but Chase has been an overall performer in First-Class cricket with his average of 42.87, which is quite impressive in 29 matches.
2. Shardul Thakur: Just like Chase, Thakur is also playing his first Test series and might get chance to show his skills with the ball. The right arm pacer from Mumbai is known for his aggression and his ability to swing the ball away from the right-handers. Thakur is a bowler who can be pretty handy with the bat too. He is probably the only player in the side who has been picked after his impressive show in the Ranji Trophy 2015-16 season as he grabbed 41 wickets in 11 matches for Mumbai at 24.51 apiece. Since this is a four-match series, there are very high chances of Thakur getting a break to make his international debut.
3. Miguel Cummins: Cummins is the third player overall from both sides who is playing his first Test series. He is also selected because of his good show in domestic cricket where he was consistent. He made his One-Day International (ODI) debut back in 2014 against Ireland but didn’t get the chance to play for West Indies in between. In the First-Class tournament of Caribbean, Cummins spearheaded attack for Barbados and was the highest wicket-taker for his team as well with 33 wickets in 10 matches at 20.69. Talking about his consistency, his overall First-Class record speaks for itself as he averages 22.56 with 116 wickets in 41 matches.
4. Shane Dowrich: The 24-year wicket-keeper batsman from Barbados was the part of West Indies Test side for their last home Test series against Australia. He played in both the matches and in his debut game, he managed to score a fifty in the second innings. The only reason behind his selection in the current squad is exclusion of wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin as Dowrich does not carry impressive numbers to back his selection.
5. Shannon Gabriel: The young pacer from Trinidad and Tobago is often compared with Ian Bishop. In the recently played ODI series, Gabriel performed quite well with the ball by picking up six wickets in three matches. He has often been in and out in the West Indies Test side since 2012 and seems like the selectors have invested once again in him. He does not have very good numbers to show in the latest domestic tournament in the Caribbean but looking at his overall Test record, he is not that bad. 34 wickets in 16 Tests at 37.67 are good enough for a bowler to get another chance and also he has done pretty well in the recent ODIs.
6. Leon Johnson: He is the same guy who led WICB President XI in the tour game against India before this series. Johnson is currently in excellent form as he was the highest run-getter in the latest domestic season. He scored 807 runs in 10 matches at 57.64. The selection of this player is totally justified and he must get few chances to play in this series.
7. KL Rahul: He started brilliantly in Tests with a hundred against Australia Down Under but then continued to fail and soon his average dropped to 25.60. But looking at his recent form, he has performed well in both ODIs and T20s and this series may revive his Test career if he gets chances and performs.
8. Carlos Brathwaite: He has played only two Tests so far and managed 130 runs at 43.33. He has not scored much in the recent domestic tournament but surely has the ability to perform at big stage. Brathwaite is one of those batsmen who can play long innings in Tests.
9. Rajendra Chandrika: Why this batsman is getting so many chances in Tests even after averaging only 25.46 in First-Class cricket is befuddling. Even in the latest domestic season, his average was only 30.91 with 371 runs in his name in seven matches, which is not impressive enough to get to play for West Indies Test team. But looking at the selectors’ faith in him, it seems there is something special about him which we may get to see in this series.
(Abhishek Kumar is a cricket devotee currently staffing with Criclife.com. He can be followed on Twitter @abhik2593 and on Facebook at abhicricket.kumar)
