Wounded West Indies set to commence Test championship against impressive India

By Brandon Corlette

The last time West Indies wore the white kit in the Caribbean, they sprang the biggest surprise by defeating the former number two ranked Test team, England, 2-1.

Come tomorrow, Thursday August 22, the West Indies team will be seeking to spring surprises against the World Number One Test team, India, when the two teams play their first match in the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test championship in Antigua from 9:30h local time.

In the two-match Test series, which will sign off in Jamaica, West Indies will be led by their resourceful skipper Jason Holder, while India will be led by the courageous Virat Kohli.

West Indies are entering this two-match Test series with all the odds being against them. India have not lost a Test match to West Indies since 2002. The defying odds speak for themselves: India won all seven of their last Test series against West Indies. These wins came from 2002/03 to 2018/19.

In India’s last visit to the Caribbean, they defeated West Indies 2-0 in the four-match Test series. India won the first and third Tests, while the second and fourth were drawn encounters. In the first Test on that tour, “King Kohli” scored a rapid 200, while Ravichandaran Ashwin took advantage of some woeful bowling when he scored 113.

The dominant India team batted once, scoring 566 runs and bowling West Indies out for 243 and 231 to win by an innings and 92 runs. In India’s win in the third Test, it was an Ashwin show once more, and he followed his first Test match seven-wicket haul with his second century on tour, scoring 118.

In this two-match Test series, Test specialists Ashwin, Cheteshwhar Puraja, Ishant Sharma, Hanuma Vihari and Ajinkya Rahane will each play an integral role, along with regular members of the Indian set-up. West Indies, on the other hand, have had a poor show in maroon clothing, losing both the recently concluded T20I series and ODI series to India.

With the Windies’ most recent performance in Test cricket being an inspiration, they have retained most of the players from the Test series against England earlier this year. Newbies in the team are Rahkeem Cornwall and Shamarh Brooks, both of who will be aiming to make their Test debuts in this series.

The Caribbean’s Test team have had some good performances, with the “Bajan Boys” doing their ‘bits and pieces’.
Roston Chase has been among the runs and wickets in Test; as is Holder, who will be aiming to take his rankings higher. Shane Dowrich has been inconsistent, but he made the runs when it matters. The pace arsenal in Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel and Holder are covered, as Keemo Paul offers back-up.

This trio has been impressive, showing glimpses of the four horsemen in the golden days of West Indies cricket. However, some of the West Indies batsmen have not been in supreme touch in recent times. It is obvious that these batsmen Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Kraig Brathwaite, John Campbelle and Darren Bravo require advice, hence the recruitment of batting greats Brian Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

West Indies will be high in confidence in the Test arena since their win against England in the Caribbean, but that was only one time. Consistency has been an unfamiliar word for the West Indies. Players lack the ability to score runs on a regular basis, and the team fails to win series consistently. A win in the Test match series for West Indies will not be surprising, equally so, a whitewash to India will surprise nobody.

From 2016 to 2019, West Indies played 11 Test series, winning three and drawing one. The test was a learning curve, but certainly a disappointment. Will Kohli and his men complete a full tour series win, or will Holder and company repeat their performances from that England tour?