India Should Aim For A Clean Sweep

Well begun is half done, goes the adage. The Indian cricket team has the opportunity to make the perfect start to the new cycle of the World Test Championship (2023-25) in the two-Test series against the West Indies starting on July 12.

With the home team in disarray and ranked No. 8, the top ranked Team India should not be satisfied with anything less than a clean sweep given the fact that the visitors have not lost a Test in the Caribbean since 2002. Out of 13 Tests played over four visits since then India has won six while seven have been drawn.

The mood in the West Indies right now cannot be upbeat, what with the once kings of cricket unable to make it to the World Cup main draw for the first time after being eliminated in the qualifiers. Their team, for the first Test too, does not inspire confidence and skipper Kraigg Brathwaite knows that his squad can do with all the help they can.

That is why they have enlisted the services of the legendary Brian Lara as the team’s performance mentor. The squad can certainly do with Lara’s tips on situational awareness of the game.

“In conversations we have had with him we always learn and he is big on planning on how one is to score the runs and our batters will definitely benefit from all he tells us’’ said Brathwaite. Lara had worked with the team earlier this year on the tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa. West Indies won the two match series in Zimbabwe 1-0 but lost both the Tests in South Africa.

However, the captain maintains that he has a positive influence on the team. He also called upon the spectators in Dominica, the venue of the first Test, to throw their weight behind the home side.

West Indies’ main hopes will lie with their pace trio of Alzarri Joseph, Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach along with experienced all rounder Jason Holder making deep inroads into the Indian batting. The spinners should pose no problems while the batting looks vulnerable and could find the varied Indian attack difficult to negotiate.

About the only thing India will have to guard against is complacency. The think tank should realise that it is a period of transition. For various reasons Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah are not available.

But the side is still an ideal blend of youth and experience. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashaswi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan and Mukesh Kumar are all uncapped but have the opportunity to make the most of the chances.

They have certainly earned their places in the touring squad. The prodigiously talented Shubman Gill, already a proven performer, is the leader of the young brigade. The experience is provided by Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Mohammed Siraj who will spearhead the pace attack in the absence of Shami.

The batting and spin bowling look strong enough to counter anything the West Indies can come up with while Shardul Thakur could emerge as a key player with his all round exploits.

Indeed there is a problem of plenty for the tourists which means that the think tank headed by coach Rahul Dravid will have to make some tough decisions. In the first place should they persist with Gill as opener and send in Jaiswal at No. 3 or should it be the other way around?

Then with the proven weakness of West Indians against spin should they go in for the proven duo of Ashwin and Jadeja or should they include Patel as a third spinner. While Siraj will be the spearhead and Thakur the all rounder who among Jaidev Unadkat and Navdeep Saini should be the third seamer if they opt to go in with three such bowlers and just two spinners.

Jaiswal impressed in the practice game after being sent ahead of regular opener Gill, perhaps an indication that Dravid and skipper Rohit are thinking of blooding the young Mumbai batter as an opener. The long-term plan of the team management could see them use Gill as the No 3 and send in Jaiswal to open with Rohit.

Gill has opened the batting in all his 16 Tests but now with Pujara no longer in the side the think tank could well see him at the crucial No. 3 spot instead of Jaiswal. It would not be out of place to mention here that Gill is actually a middle order player who preferred to play at No. 3 or No. 4 during his days as an India under-19 and India A player.

He has a double hundred in an A Test against West Indies in 2019. In that innings he batted at No. 5 (virtually No. 4) as Shahbaz Nadeem had gone in as night watchman the previous evening.

Since the start of his Test career he has been drafted in to open the innings in the absence of suitable candidates and has done well enough to cement his place but in the absence of Pujara the think tank could well want to utilise his experience and solidity at the pivotal No. 3 slot.

Either way the batting looks solid with Thakur coming in at No. 9. The West Indian bowlers could well have their task cut out.