India’s World Cup preparations take pace in the Caribbean

Had it been any other year, perhaps this series would have been a dead rubber, given how West Indies’ cricketing standards have fallen from a cliff. But in a World Cup year, any practise against any opposition is often good, especially considering the absence of several stars such as Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer. 

West Indies have failed to qualify for the 50-over event later this year, but the fact that they will be looking to bounce back sharply gives India hope of a good contest. The last time when India visited the Caribbean in a three-match ODI series, Shubman Gill, the ODI superstar, was born. India would be hopeful that they unearth more stars this time around. 

There are some visible questions for India, who makes up the middle-order in Iyer, Rahul and Pant’s absence, which wrist spinner takes up the role of an attacking spinner, and which pacer can take advantage of the various injuries to edge themselves over the others. In that regard, all eyes will be on Umran Malik, who has been named in the squad despite a poor run in the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League. 

Also Read: Why Samson, SKY, Axar and Shardul need to be at the heart of World Cup preps

And for West Indies, this series is the start of the future. A future that currently looks like it has had heavy inspiration from the Grim Reaper. 

Things to watch out for

KulCha or just Cha-Cha?

It is all but confirmed that Ravindra Jadeja will be India’s first-choice spin all-rounder, even in the presence of a tough competitor in Axar Patel. Jadeja’s form in this year’s IPL has been such that he pips Axar purely on the basis of his bowling. But oddly, there still could be a possibility where India could feature both - considering how Axar took on responsibility - with the bat. The question, though, lies elsewhere, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal or just Chahal? 

Since the start of 2022, both Chahal and Kuldeep have played the same number of games and bowled similar number of overs and Kuldeep has edged the leg-spinner with 27 wickets. However, in this year’s IPL, Chahal showed something new to his white-ball prowess when he was responsible for bowling at the death. 

Chahal picked up 11 wickets at the death and was the best spinner in the 2023 IPL. But Kuldeep picked up just the one wicket at the death but showed his worth across the other phases of play. So, will India pick a starting lineup that has Jadeja and KulCha or Jadeja and Kul/Cha?

Does Umran become an automatic starter?

Why is Umran Malik in the squad? That’s perhaps one of the biggest takeaways and questions from the squad announcement. And if anything, the queries are justified. Umran hasn’t done a lot to help his cause in the 2023 IPL for Sunrisers, where he looked like one of the worst bowlers on their roster. In 120 deliveries that he bowled, Umran conceded 217 runs, averaging 43.40 with an economy rate of 10.85. 

Not just that, even his plans against Nitish Rana in the clash against KKR was a big letdown, as the pacer aimed to bounce the left-hander out. Instead, his bowling was exposed as Rana took 28 runs off the over. While India doesn’t have someone of Umran’s pace calibre in the country, does that make him an automatic starter? 

It is also true that India are following a hierarchy, but even then, Umran averages 27.30, conceding runs at 6.45 in ODIs. 

West Indies cricket with a point to prove

West Indies cricket is at an all-time high low. They just were trashed mercilessly by India at home in the two-match Test series. It followed their dose of public humiliation when they were knocked out of the 2023 ODI World Cup, having failed to seal themselves a qualification spot in the main event. But anyone following Windies cricket will know that it was bound to happen. 

Also Read: A disaster 3 years in the making: the warning signs were always there for WI

In the last three years, Windies have won just three series - one against Sri Lanka and the other two against the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates. Shimron Hetmyer returns, and so does Oshane Thomas, giving the Men in Maroon some sort of familiarity. 

But now they have a point to prove, against India, one of the strongest opponents in the format. Will Shai Hope still be their only trustworthy option with the bat? That’s what the series will essentially answer. 

Pitch and Conditions

Since 2021, Kensington Oval has been extremely difficult for the batters, with an average first-innings total of 208. In an era where 300s have become fairly the standard in the 50-over format, the venue has been the second-lowest run-scoring venue, with only Guyana National Stadium faring poorer than Kensington in the first innings. 

Pacers have been more effective than spinners, with 56 wickets in comparison to the 40 from the spinners. Even from a bowling average wise, pacers average 22.7 whilst the spinners average 27.5. 

Tactical Nous

- Since the start of 2022, Rohit Sharma has adopted a rather different style of ODI cricket, going all-out in the powerplay phase. It is evident from the numbers, with the right-hander being dismissed seven times and striking at 107.14, with 69 boundaries. His strike-rate is also the fifth-best for all batters, and that’s where West Indies need to be careful. If they are to restrict India to a below-par total, they will have to ensure that Rohit doesn’t get off to a flying start. 

- Shai Hope is exceptional across the board against all types of bowling, both in terms of average and in terms of control. In the same time frame (since 2022), Hope has scored 1230 runs, averaging a high 43.9 with the bat. But a type of bowling exists - left-arm spin - which has caused a worry or two. Against left-arm spin, the right-hander averages 32.2 and also has the lowest balls/dismissal (43.6). India will need Jadeja to stop Windies’ Hope (s). 

Predicted XIs

There is plenty of talks that surround the Indian XI, will Sanju Samson feature, or will it be Suryakumar Yadav or both? How about Axar Patel? Yuzvendra Chahal or Kuldeep Yadav, or both? India have some questions to answer, and considering the conditions, India will walk out with this XI. 

India Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav/Sanju Samson, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik/Jaydev Unadkat

On the other hand, for West Indies, it is about resetting the puzzle, and their XI could look largely similar to the one that played in Zimbabwe, except for a few changes. 

West Indies Predicted XI: Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope (c & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Alick Athanaze, Kyle Mayers, Oshane Thomas, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales