The main takeaways from India Versus West Indies T20 series
The last month of the year 2019 enthralled us with the exciting T20 series between the hosts Indian and the major entertainer the West Indies. India dominated the series with 2-1 and after the exciting series ended there are some prime takeaways we can garner from the series.
India clinched the T20 series by 2-1 on her very soil after dominating the West Indies in the West Indies conditions earlier this year. Under the captaincy of dynamic Kolhi, the series victory has opened up various facets to be excited about. The victory becomes very special as we stood firm against brutal hitters of the shortest format and grabbed the series after winning the last decider and that too after bowling second.The batting
The batting side did not disappoint us in any way for sure. Kolhi after making the comeback not only just impressed us in awe with his destructive batting but also with his beguiling verbal intimidation, giving West Indians the test of their own medicine. In the series, the top-order first three batsmen scored collectively around 65 percent of the total runs scored by the team in the two victorious matches.
Kolhi, in particular, scored around31 percent of the total runs scored by India in this very series. It means that whenever India totaled a score of 200 runs, there would be Kolhi showing his name printed on his T-shirt to the crowd, after scoring a fifty. His highest score in T20 international came playing the first match and this very series witnessed Kolhi being the getter of a maximum number of man of the match awards too, in T20 international.
The other man who impressed us was KL Rahul who not only justified the replacement of Dhawan but also dominated the game with his 91 and 62 that helped India to get the start it demanded. His opening partner Rohit Sharma secured only one big score and that too in the decider. We always expect more from him but despite his scores sometimes falling short, his very presence is enough to boost the morale of the team under his experience.
The disappointment came from the side of Shreyas Iyer when he was not able to capitalize on the start with the skillful batting he is known for. The first game, he had no option but to continue with the momentum but in the second one, he could have built the partnership knowing it was a slow track. However, the year 2019 avouched the strike rate of 140 plus from his bat and no doubt the experience would get the better out of him.
The wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, known for his flair, has the inconsistency issues prevailing. The first game where he had explosively started with the strike rate of 200 he could not convert it into the big score with his poor shot selection. The second game was way better and he got not out with again explosive 33 runs at the strike rate of 150 plus. The third game was when he got promoted and failed to capitalize again. One of the most anticipated pitch hitters is yet to set the frequency in the universe of consistency, matching his talent. He is sure to be getting some more chances as claimed by BCCI chairman, Dada.The all-rounders
The allrounders' performance was pretty decent with Jadeja coming into play for the first two matches. He took two wickets of the top order batsmen with tight economical bowling in the first game and the performance was a comprehensively effective one in the second. He was able to bat in only one game and the performance was simply ordinary.
The surprise package was Shivam Dube, who when was promoted out of the blue by Kolhi, showed an impressive batting with his 54 runs at a healthy strike rate. However, his being selected predominantly in an all-rounder role is yet to be seen on the ground. His average bowling without any wicket the whole series would be too soon to mark him as a strong replacement for Hardik Pandya at times. The coaching staff has a responsibility to use his Mcgrath like action more into the substance on the pitch.The bowlers
It is often said that you don't have much margin as a bowler in the batsman's game but with the upcoming T20 world cup in the very next year the bowling side cannot afford to lag behind the batting department in any manner. The dew factor still is a big problem for the bowlers and the problem became evident in the second game when India has to defend the small total of 170.
In that very game, the pace department was not able to take a single wicket. Deepak Chahar, a bi-directional swing bowler was not up to the mark in the first two matches in the terms of wickets' tally and conceding runs. The last series with Bangladesh was the performance that set up a high level of expectations and this series was nowhere near to it. The ability undoubtedly is promising and the time would nurture him for the better.
Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, making the comeback, was not seen in the rhythm this three-match series. Despite his economy-rate being well under 10, taking wickets in the crucial times and is the man for the death overs is deemed to be his prime role. We were not able to witness his killer swing much but with the immense experience he has, he would surely work his way out again in the next games.
Mohammad Shami, on the other hand, got to play the decider and he seldom disappoints his captain in getting him crucial breakthroughs. He is in such a rhythm in all the three formats of his career that it doesn't matter if he is making a comeback even in a decider.
The spin department formed the same strata in terms of performance. Washington Sundar garnered the wickets of some top batsmen but eventually deviated from being economical. Chahal, the drift spinner was well off in the first game dismissing explosive Pollard and flamboyant Hetmeyer but the dew factor in the second game made him the wet rag. The decider was played under his absence with Kuldeep Yadav given the chance. Kuldeep, as they say, the more he gets hit the more he sucks his bowling speed and eventually gets the wickets. He is a wicket-taker bowler but being economical is still something he would try to achieve in tandem.Conclusion
Anyways despite being a mixed year in the terms of T20 victories, we ended the year on the winning note. The series gave us some exciting moments to cherish especially that Williams-Kolhi gesture thing and this series would help the management to foresee the best combination.
There are still enough T20 matches left all around the globe before being ready for the world cup the next year.
Yes. The series victory against West Indies in T 20 series on the home soil has given a lot of confidence to our team. Kohli proved himself as the best batsman in all the formats of the game. He proved that his bat will act according to the requirement. As mentioned by the author the top order batsmen proved their strong batting skills. The team proved to be strong enough to face any other team in the world.
The bowling department also did well. Mohammad Shami proved to be the best bowler for us. Bhuvanesh was not up to his mark. But their performance should improve when they have to defend a small total. In this aspect, they have to improve further.
But the team is more dependent on 2 or 3 batsmen only. At times when they fail the remaining should be able to face the opposition and see that a respectable total is made. It is too much to ask the same one or two batsmen to score runs always.