- Team India’s first outing for the current World Test Championship cycle began with a two-match series against the West Indies and ended on predictable lines with no surprises. Remember that India was blacked out in the World Test Championship final against Team Australia? Cricket fans who have been following Team India’s fortunes closely will be concerned about how they have failed to cross the final hurdle in International Cricket Council-organized events in recent years. The most recent defeat came against a team from Australia when the much-touted Indian cricket team was run over by the opponent. Cricket fans are becoming irritated by this.
PC: AFP
- The mandarins of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) must be concerned about the team’s recurring failure to emerge victorious despite possessing all the means to run over any opposition. Against this backdrop, the Indian team’s trip to the Caribbean for a two-match Test series must have provided an opportunity for the team to not only regroup to assert itself in the longest format of the game but also to gain crucial points for an overseas victory. We’ve all seen how the West Indies team has lost its sheen, vigor, razzmatazz, and, most importantly, winning prowess that it possessed in abundance in the past, when it annihilated every opposition team with incredible firepower.
- Unfortunately, the current crop of West Indies cricketers is not only devoid of star power but also of genuine fast bowlers, who were the team’s trademark during the enthralling 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Notably, the cricket pitches available in the West Indies have become very similar to those found in the subcontinent, where the visiting team has frequently struggled to pace the innings due to the slowness of the wicket. Fast bowlers must work extremely hard to extract any life from the lifeless pitches. Spinners, on the other hand, enter the equation faster than necessary, making the entire contest between the bat and the ball dull. It’s no surprise that Team West Indies is struggling on all fronts.
PC: Google
- As expected, Team India easily defeated the West Indies in the first Test match. India’s stars were opener Yashaswi Jaiswal and veteran Ravichandran Ashwin, who shone with the bat and the ball, respectively. The second Test was also heading in Team India’s favor until the rain gods intervened, preventing play on the final day of the match. The empty stands visible throughout the two-match series demonstrated how the West Indies board is struggling to even get patrons to support them. Of course, Team India won the series 1-0, but the question here is whether anything concrete came out of the trip. Little, in my opinion. Yes, Virat Kohli scored his 29th international goal.
