Top 5 performers from India A v West Indies A ODI series

India did not have a great end to their 2019 World Cup campaign as they suffered a defeat at the hands of a strong New Zealand side in the semifinals of the global competition. Post the loss, the senior side is set to take on West Indies in a long tour comprising of three T20Is, three ODIs and two Test matches, beginning with the first T20I on 3rd August at Florida.

Shifting focus from the senior Indian side, the India A side has also been in the news for their outstanding performance in the series against West Indies A. The side had the likes of Shubman Gill, Manish Pandey, Khaleel Ahmed and various other stars, who outplayed the West Indies A side in the five-match unofficial ODI series. The Men in Blue won four out of five matches with their star performers finding form at the right time.

Here is an article which features the list of top five performers from the India A vs West Indies A unofficial ODI series.

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#5 Krunal Pandya

Krunal Pandya bagged the best figures from the series

The Pandya brothers have made a serious mark in cricket owing to their all-round abilities. Hardik Pandya has cemented his spot in India's playing XI across all three formats and has earned a name as one of the world's best finishers. On the back of consistent performances from the domestic scenario, Krunal Pandya was picked for India A and was in fine bowling form against West Indies A.

Krunal applied pressure on the opposition team with his left-arm orthodox spin, in particular during the third ODI of this tour. Krunal picked up 5 wickets for just 33 runs in that match which restricted the West Indies A side for just 147.

Bowling a total of 7 overs, Krunal took the big wicket of Roston Chase who was leading the West Indies A side in this tournament. Overall, from three matches, Krunal finished with 7 wickets at a commendable ecomony of 3.75 RPO.

#4 Axar Patel

Axar Patel showed his all-around talent vs West Indies A.

Axar Patel has not had too many chances to play for the senior Indian side with the likes of Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja finding a consistent spot in the squad. However, Axar has been in some top form from the local tournaments and more importantly proved to be the best all-rounder from both sides combined at the end of the series against West Indies A.

The Gujarat all-rounder showed great promise with both the bat and the ball. He brought forth his big-hitting abilities with the bat as he topped the list of the batsman with a highest batting strike rate in the series. Axar smashed 111 runs from just 3 innings at a thundering strike-rate of 111.

Axar also finished as the most economical bowler from the Indian side. Even though he just picked four wickets from four matches, his accuracy with the ball was top-class. The left-arm spinner conceded runs at a miserly economy rate of just 3.41.

#3 Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey was the only batsman to smash a century in this Unofficial ODI series.

Manish Pandey could be the best solution to India’s number 4 problem which has been haunting the side. He has gained a ton of experience, having played a number of games with the India A side and was in fine form in the recently concluded five-match series.

Pandey utilised the chance brilliantly as apart from leading the side, he also focused on his individual performances which won a number of matches for the Men in Blue. Pandey also emerged as the only batsman to smash a century in the series.

He notched up the century during the third ODI which took place at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. While batting first, India put up a huge score of 295 runs on the board, courtesy of Manish Pandey’s century off just 87 balls, laced with six fours and five sixes in his match-winning inning.

From five games, Pandey finished with 162 runs at an average of 40.50 and a strike rate of 101.25.

#2 Khaleel Ahmed

Khaleel Ahmed grabbed 9 wickets from 4 matches against West Indies A.

The search for a left-arm pacer has always been on the radar since after the retirement of Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Irfan Pathan, the Indian side has failed to land a quality left-handed pacer who can win matches for the side.

Khaleel Ahmed has been a strong candidate to fill this gap but has not had too many chances to prove his worth. Yet, the fact that he was in fine form during the recently concluded ODI series against West Indies A has now made a strong case for his spot in the senior team.

Khaleel emerged as the leading wicket-taker from the series as he bagged nine wickets from just four matches from a total of 33 overs in the series. His bowling average of 17.33 shows for his consistency with the ball.

If he continues this form, then he might become the next big star of the Indian side.

#1 Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill scored a total of 218 runs for India A.

Labeled as an upcoming star for slotting into the Indian middle order, Shubman Gill missed out on a place in the senior Indian squad for the West Indies tour. Gill had a great start to his cricketing career as he won the Man of the Tournament award from the ICC Under 19 World Cup in 2018, after scoring 372 runs. He then carried his splendid form into the IPL, Ranji Trophy and various other competitions.

In the recently concluded series against West Indies A, while opening the innings along with Rututraj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill stole the show with his aggregate of 218 runs from just four matches. He finised with a mind-boggling average of 54.50 from the ODI series.

His highest individual score came during the third ODI when he smashed 77 runs with the help of eight fours and one six. With a good showing from this series, Gill could soon be in the reckoning for a national team debut.