Talking points from the India–West Indies ODI series
India have emerged 2–1 winners in the three-match ODI series against the West Indies in what was a high-scoring bonanza for batters.
Ten centuries were scored, the 400-run mark was breached twice, and separate 350+ scores emerged twice to show how batters made merry in this series, while the bowlers not only struggled to make inroads but were rendered helpless due to the seemingly flat nature of the pitches in all three games.
However, both camps will be reasonably happy with the performances their teams have shown. India will fancy themselves with their strength in batting, while the West Indies will also believe that they are in fine fettle ahead of the qualifiers they will play in order to reach for the 2027 ICC World Cup.
That said, here are some talking points from the series.
India’s batting looks ominous
If there is one thing that India can take to the bank in terms of positive takeaways, it is the fact that their batting looks dangerous, arguably the best in the world. And that is not good news for the rest of the bowling attacks.
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli have scored runs for fun this series. Captain Gill has shown why he is the number-one-ranked ODI batsman in the world, having scored a hundred and double-hundred in consecutive matches. Sharma helped himself to a century and a 90 in the series, while Kohli kick-started the series with a hundred of his own, further showing off the newfound aggression in his batting.
Add to the fact that KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad have also helped themselves to scores of 129 and a half-century in the series, respectively, and head coach Gautam Gambhir will be reasonably pleased with the wealth of batting options at his disposal and the form that each of them have shown.
India’s bowling looks equally ordinary
As good and majestic as India’s batting was in this series, equally poor was their bowling. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, who were representing the country at the Asian Games in Japan, the likes of Gurnoor Brar, Anshul Kambhoj, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Prasidh Krishna came an absolute cropper against this West Indian batting order.
Notwithstanding the conditions, which were pretty much against the bowlers, none of the Indian pacers showed neither temperament nor ability to bowl consistent lines and lengths. They were wayward, irresponsible, and just did not create enough chances.
Barring Kuldeep Yadav’s match-winning spell in the first ODI in Trivandrum, none of the bowlers managed to put the West Indies batters under any sort of pressure. Mohammed Siraj was conspicuously absent in the first two games, and even when he was brought into the side for the third match, he wasn’t able to influence the game like he normally does. All in all, the Indian bowlers looked pedestrian and out of ideas.
India’s current bowling corps does not exude a lot of confidence, and if they continue to bowl like this, it could spell trouble for the Men in Blue in the coming months. Bumrah cannot return to the side soon enough, and even then, one has the impression that it may not be enough.
Glass half-full for the Windies
Even though the West Indies lost the series, head coach Daren Sammy will be very happy with the way his side showed fight and gumption against a much-heralded and star-studded Indian side on the latter’s home turf.
The likes of John Campbell and Amir Jangoo showed grit and character as they got among the runs. Jangoo, in particular, showed maturity beyond his experience; it’s hard to believe this was his first step in the format. In Justin Greaves, who was unfortunately ruled out of the series following injury, WI have an all-rounder who can provide runs with the bat as well as quality with the ball. Add to that skipper Shai Hope, who blasted consecutive centuries, and this Windies batting order is showing a lot of quality and firepower.
WI’s bowlers, while understandably going for plenty due to the conditions on offer, showed adequate discipline and temperament, with Jayden Seales and Alzarri Joseph inducing enough false strokes off the Indian batters. Vitel Lawes is an exciting new find, while Gudakesh Motie adds experience and a different variance to this bowling attack.
So, despite the loss, one could say that the Men in Maroon are slowly finding their way back to ODI fluency, and that will only bode well for the cricketing fraternity.
