India vs West Indies: 5 visiting players under the scanner in the Caribbean

The Indian team is embarking on a month-long tour of the Caribbean Islands commencing today, with the first of three T20Is, followed by three ODIs and two Test matches.

The Indian squad has a few new faces, including the likes Deepak Chahar, Rahul Chahar, and Navdeep Saini. Other young, but more familiar, players who could get playing time are Khaleel Ahmed, Shreyas Iyer, and Krunal Pandya. The only one who missed out on the tour is Shubman Gill.

While the selectors have gone with youngsters for white-ball cricket, they have opted for a more conventional lineup for the two Test matches.

While the tour could launch the careers of some exciting talent, it is also make or break for some of the tried and tested players. Here are five whose careers could be on the line.

#5. Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav lucky to be in the squad

Looking back, Jadhav's World Cup wasn't too bad. He batted in five innings and remained not out in three with a top score of 52. He finished the World Cup with an average of 40 at a strike rate of 80.

After playing in 65 ODIs, Jadhav has an impressive average of 43 at a strike rate of 100. But he has not been a finisher for India and his bowling utility has slowly diminished. He has had fitness issues as well. He is prone to playing loose shots and with his perpetual casual approach to batting, he is slowly losing the confidence of his captain and the management.

This Caribbean tour could be one final opportunity for Jadhav to extend his career. The slow nature of the pitches should suit his style of batting and bowling. At the wrong side of 30 and with so many youngsters waiting in line, it might be an uphill task for him to retain a place in the team after the tour of the West Indies.

#4. Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey gets one more chance to impress

Manish Pandey is back into the Indian team after a gap of one year. In 2018, he played only one ODI. While Pandey ‘s ODI career took off spectacularly with a batting average of 71 in his first 11 innings, he scored only a total of 93 runs in his next seven.

With Dinesh Karthik struggling in the World Cup and injuries to Vijay Shankar and Hardik Pandya, Pandey has found himself in both the T20I and ODI squads. To be fair to him, his record in T20Is is pretty good with an average of 41 and a strike rate of 123.

In ODIs, Pandey’s problems are similar to that of Karthik. Both have shown potential with good starts but have never been able to play a long innings suited to the 50-over game.

It's his chance to impress the selectors, though opportunities might be limited in the West Indies. With youngsters like Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill in the mix for the same batting positions, Pandey needs to make an impact to stay afloat.

#3. Umesh Yadav

Will Umesh get a chance in the playing XI?

Umesh Yadav has been an enigma. He could go from asset to liability in one bowling spell. His lack of control in stemming the flow of runs has resulted in him losing his place in white-ball cricket.

In ODIs, Yadav has a high economy rate of 6.01. His extra pace, which has been his foe in white-ball cricket, has been his friend in Test cricket. He can unsettle batsmen, lacks consistency in hitting the right line and length.

Umesh had an excellent home series against West Indies in October 2018, when he took 11 wickets in two Test matches. In the second Test match at Hyderabad, Umesh had a 10-wicket haul.

However, in this series, the first-choice seamers for India would be Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma. The absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the Test squad should give some hope for Umesh.

#2. Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin has an impressive record against West Indies

After maintaining a healthy batting average of 35 in his first six years of Test cricket, Ashwin’s batting average has dipped to 17 and 20 in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Without this additional role, his bowling needs to be that much better.

But he is not the same force anymore. In India’s last three away tours, Ashwin’s strike rate was as high as 65 in South Africa, 76 in England and 86 in Australia. He has had injury problems as well in the past year. With the presence of Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav in the squad, Ashwin might not be the first choice on away tours.

However, there are three factors Ashwin's favour on this tour of West Indies. The first is his record against West Indies, both at home and in the West Indies. In 11 Test matches, Ashwin has a batting average of 50 and all his four Test hundreds have been scored against them. And He has taken 60 wickets at an average of over five wickets every Test.

On the slow and low wickets of the Caribbean, the Indian team is likely to go in with two spinners, which makes Ashwin’s selection more likely. Though there are no off-spinning competitors for Ashwin in Test matches, his performance in the series will be closely monitored.

#1. Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane - not in the best of forms of late

Ajinkya Rahane is the vice-captain of the Test squad. Though a compact player in Test matches, his recent performances while travelling is a cause for concern for the team management. In South Africa, Rohit Sharma was preferred for the first two Test matches though Rahane was the vice-captain. But he scored a crucial 48 in the second innings of the third Test to help India to victory.

However, the slide started in England when he managed to score just two fifties in 10 innings. It was somewhat better in Australia, where he scored two fifties in seven innings.

The last three years have been a struggle for Rahane, averaging 35, 30 and 18 in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Like Ashwin, Rahane is now looked upon as a Test specialist. And with Rohit Sharma in a position to make a comeback into the Test team, this tour will be of great importance.

As the vice-captain of the team, Rahane’s position is not under immediate threat. But his performances in the upcoming series will be watched closely. He should be at his consistent best to keep other contenders at bay.