Follow UsThere might be little sense in writing this, but I’ll write it anyway. No one really needs to read it, but they still should. It’s on the West Indies’ coming tour of India, and we know what the outcome will be: given enough play West Indies will lose both Tests and likely lose them badly.
Therefore, there need not be any deep analysis of playing conditions -- India wins regardless. And there need not be any evaluation of personnel chosen to make the trip -- it really doesn’t matter who is picked.
It doesn’t matter because there is no combination of players available to the West Indies that will cause India undue alarm. India will simply be too good for the tourists, especially since they’ll be operating in their own conditions.
The West Indies’ last Test outing saw them at one of their lowest ebbs, dismissed for 27 by Australia in Jamaica, their smallest total ever. As humiliating as it was, however, it was not all that surprising to those paying close attention as we have witnessed the deterioration over time. Twenty-seven all out is a marker, of sorts, but we do not know if it’s the region’s nethermost point, since there is nothing to stop it from going lower still.
Indian cricket fans will, no doubt, rue the dip in quality and excitement after the England series. India’s prior opponents provided the level of play that made for a keenly contested, riveting series. This approaching contest with the West Indies is unlikely to reach those dizzying heights.
Teams traverse cycles of highs and lows. But while the West Indies could be said to be plumbing some of its nethermost depths, the current Indian team is not that far from its highest point.
Making matters worse for the tourists is the fact that their squad has been depleted by injuries. Fast bowling has recently been their strongest suit, and so it was devastating that two of their most incisive pacers have been forced out of service. Shamar Joseph, whose magical seven-wicket haul inspired last year’s miracle at the Gabba, and Alzarri Joseph, perhaps the quickest bowler available to the West Indies, have both been excised from the squad. Their places were taken by two young Barbadian pacers: Johann Layne and the left-handed Jediah Blades. Neither have played a Test.
The absence of the two Josephs means that the visitors’ new-ball threat has been significantly weakened. Jayden Seales has been hugely impressive in his relatively young Test career. 88 wickets from 21 games at 22.32 paints a picture of a young man on an elite path. But much will be required of him on surfaces that have not traditionally been fast-bowler friendly if the West Indies are to be at all competitive.
The other fast men making the trip are Anderson Phillips from Trinidad and Tobago and Barbadian all-rounder Justin Greaves. Both are capable of decent spells of fast bowling. Yet neither should be particularly troublesome to India’s line of high-quality batters.
The slow-bowling department is led by vice-captain Jomel Warrican, a left-armer from Barbados capable of eliciting some turn in helpful conditions. He has shown recent improvement and was the man mainly responsible for the West Indies’ first win in Pakistan in 34 years when he bowled them to victory in Multan early this year. The depletion of the pace-bowling unit means he should be in for a ton of work as his side seeks to maintain control and snatch wickets.
The other spinner named is Khary Pierre, a newcomer to the squad at 33 years old. He does not spin the ball long distances but his control makes him a steady practitioner. His selection is reward for bagfuls of wickets he captured in the last regional red-ball competition.
West Indies captain Roston Chase is himself a capable offspinner. But it is likely that his side will be more in need of his batting. The runs have not flowed lately but the Barbadian is a good player of spin and has two hundreds against India.
Another on this tour would do his team a world of good as the West Indies’ batting has been a major source of worry. There is, currently, no batter available to the Caribbean side that inspires any great degree of confidence in their ability to produce runs regularly. Tagenarine Chanderpaul has been recalled at the top of the order, more because of Mikyle Louis’ failures than anything the Guyanese batter did at the regional level after losing his place.
Chanderpaul partners opener John Campbell, a batter who is sometimes let down by his belligerence. The talented Alick Athanaze returns, and the hope is that he will find the runs to give flesh to his apparent gifts.
Wicketkeeper Shai Hope oozes class. He performed far beyond expectations a few years ago with twin centuries at Headingley, the first time that feat was accomplished in the venue’s history. But he did little in the Tests that followed and lost his place, despite almost total dominance in the 50-over game. He recently returned to Test cricket for the Australia series.
Kevlon Anderson keeps his place despite a torrid introduction to Test cricket. He looked out of his depth against Mitchell Starc, who, in truth, has persecuted more competent and experienced players than he. But he has played only one Test and deserves a few more tries, especially since he has a decent first-class record.
Perhaps the batter who seemed the most assured during the Australian series was Brandon King. Making his long overdue Test appearance, the upright Jamaican shone brightly for an elegant 75 in Grenada. His strokeplay is forthright, lordly, and will make for good viewing if he gets going.
But individual performances from Chase’s side will likely be incidental. At the best of times a tour of India is a difficult endeavour and it should be especially so for an inexperienced side short on quality and confidence. Unless India bats for days on end, the games should be of short duration.
(Image credit - Cricket West Indies)