The Carribean islands have always been a fascinating destination to play cricket – the sandy shores and the free-spirited crowds warmly welcoming cricketers. India first played an ODI in the West Indies in 1983 just prior to their heroics in England which saw ‘Kapil’s Devils’ lifting the Prudential World Cup.
The Indians who then had the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Mohinder Amarnath managed to beat the world beaters West Indies in a match but lost the series 2-1. Since then, the men in blue have toured the Windies multiple times and in the recent past have had the better of the home team.
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In fact, the Indian selectors have also used the Carribean islands as a platform to test budding cricket talent in the country as the last few tours have seen second string sides giving competition to the West Indies.
As Virat Kohli and Co. get ready to tour the Windies right after their ICC Champions Trophy campaign, we look at the five Indian batsmen who have the best aggregates when playing on the Carribean soil.
One of the biggest surprises one would get going through the list is the absence of prolific run-scorer Sachin Tendulkar who hardly left any country when it came to scoring heftily. Only four Indians have managed ODI centuries in West Indies and Virat Kohli is the only one amongst them to not feature on this list.
#5 Rahul Dravid
Innings: 14, Runs: 408, Avg.: 34.00, SR: 68.11, 50s: 2, 100s: 1, HS: 105
Dravid played his first ODI in the Carribean in 1997 and was captain of the team in his last appearance in the country which also happened to be the shocking exit of India from the ICC World Cup in 2007.
Representing India in 15 matches in between, ‘the Wall’ accumulated 408 runs at an average of 34 which is below his career average of 39. His best game with the bat came when mustered a 102-ball 105, helping India win the first ODI of the 2006 series which they eventually lost 4-1.
Presently coaching the India U-19 team, Dravid who was always a great team man can have a great piece of advice for youngsters looking to enter the senior team as to how they could master overseas pitches and conditions like those in the West Indies.
#4 Sourav Ganguly
Innings: 9 Runs: 420, Avg.: 52.50, SR: 65.11, 50s: 4, 100s: 0 HS: 89
Ganguly, like Dravid, was part of Indian squads which toured the Windies between 1997 and 2007. In the nine matches that he played, ‘Dada’ managed to score four half centuries, averaging 52.50 in the West Indian islands which is his best for any country.
His best performance came in a group match against Bermuda in the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007 when he scored a patient 89 as all his teammates went hammer and tonk against an impotent bowling attack.
Ganguly, who is now a member of the Advisory Committee of the BCCI apart from being President of Cricket Association of Bengal, will always be one of the first names to come up when great Indian captains are being talked of.
#3 Virender Sehwag
Innings: 11, Runs: 454, Avg.: 41.27, SR: 99.56, 50s: 2, 100s: 1, HS: 114
The swashbuckling ‘Sultan of Multan’ is third on this list of highest aggregators in the West Indies as far as Indian batsmen are concerned. Scoring at a brisk pace of a run a ball, Sehwag always ensured that his team got off to a good start.
More than a fourth of his runs in the Windies came in a single inning, the one he played against minnows Bermuda in a group stage match at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007. In a one-sided contest where India sailed past their opponents by 257 runs, Sehwag was adjudged Man of the Match for his 87-ball 114.
His most disappointing outings were the ones against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the same tournament which also saw India face a shock early exit after their loss to the Bangla Tigers.
#2 Rohit Sharma
Innings: 13, Runs: 489, Avg.: 54.33, SR: 72.55, 50s: 5, 100s: 0, HS: 86*
‘Hitman’ is what he is called and Rohit Sharma does justice to his name by featuring on this list. Rohit was given a new lease of life when he was made to open in the shorter version of cricket and he has never looked back.
The 30-year-old has been part of the second string squads that have toured the Windies in the recent past and perfectly used the opportunity as a platform to establish himself in the batting order. The stylish right-hander has a liking for the Windies bowling attack as he also scored centuries against them in his debut Test series apart from scoring the magical 264 against them in an ODI. He has a particular liking for the Queen’s Park Oval where he averages 113.50 across five innings.
In second place on this list, the Mumbaikar would be disappointed that he has been rested for this tour of India as he would have had a great chance to go on top of the ladder. At the same time, it is essential that the prolific run-getter takes adequate rest as his services will be needed in the near future as India start playing overseas.
#1 Yuvraj Singh
Innings: 12, Runs: 498, Avg.: 41.50, SR: 92.91, 50s: 3, 100s: 1, HS: 131
The numero uno position on this list is occupied by one of Indian cricket’s biggest match winners – Yuvraj Singh. The veteran who recently reached the milestone of 300 ODIs has scored his runs in the Carribean at a healthy average in excess of 41 and a swift pace of 92 runs per 100 balls.
His best of 131 came in the first ODI of the 2009 series where he walked out to bat in a tricky situation of 32/2 and helped the team put up a challenging total. His favourite venue is the Sabina Park where his four outings include a fifty and a century as he averages 67.75 over here. The fifth match of the series is scheduled to be played at this very venue and the southpaw will fancy getting a big score under his belt.
Having made his debut in 2000, Yuvi has been part of many teams that have toured West Indies and yet he would be eagerly looking forward to the coming opportunity as it can be a deciding factor for his position in the team as India look ahead at the World Cup of 2019.
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