West Indies tri-series 2013: India vs. West Indies - Five Talking Points

India made a strong comeback against the West Indies at the Port of Spain after suffering two consecutive defeats that left them at the verge of an early exit from the tri-nation tournament. The manner of India’s victory was uplifting as they replicated the template of success they created at the Champions Trophy with the openers getting India off to a remarkable start that laid the foundation for a 300-plus score.

The Indian seamers, who were given a hiding in the last match against Sri Lanka in the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, looked transformed against the West Indies. Kumar made early inroads and Ishant Sharma threw in a fiery spell after the rain interruption to leave West Indies rattled at 69/5. The spinners wrapped up the match for India.

It was a critical win for India in many ways. It was a test of character for the team after they suffered a humiliating defeat against Sri Lanka. The absence of MS Dhoni‘s leadership seemed to have taken the sting out of the team in the last two matches as they looked fatigued and demotivated. It was a test of Virat Kohli‘s leadership skills to change that in this do-or-die game.

More than that, it was important for India to back up their Champions Trophy triumph with a good performance sending out the signal that they would not slip into complacency. It was important to prove that this young squad had the ability to perform in unfamiliar conditions and was not dependent upon a single individual.

Here are five talking points concerning India from the India-West Indies game:

5. Rohit Sharma is fair as an opener but he needs to improve

It was yet another hundred-run stand that Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma achieved for India. This opening pair has been a boon to India’s batting, and was the primary reason for India’s success at the Champions Trophy.

While Shikhar Dhawan has impressed with the consistency with which he scores his runs, he has the additional quality of making it big. Rohit Sharma continues to let us down on that account. He scored a half century in India’s last meeting with the West Indies, and backed it up with useful innings of 46 yesterday, but has failed to score a big century.

It is something that has ailed him his entire career, and the stats prove it.

He has 16 half-centuries in 96 ODIs, but only two centuries in spite of the fact that he has been a regular top-order batsman. He has the tendency of trusting the pitch extravagantly as he uses those expansive shots that get him into trouble. His is a problem of plenty. He has so much time to play the ball, so many shots in his book, that he is confused with the options he can avail. He needs to impose some limitations on his game in order to become a better player.

4. Ishant Sharma is becoming a reliable option

In the absence of senior bowlers like Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma has lead the bowling department with relative success.

Bowling as the first change bowler, he has been getting India critical breakthroughs. He has the ability to extract that extra bit of purchase from the pitch with his reasonable pace and height. He rattled Marlon Samuels with his spell before he eventually dismissed him. He is not suited to death bowling as he is naturally inclined to bowling length deliveries, but he proved that he can hold his nerve in the Champions Trophy final.

3. The middle order lacks bite without Dhoni

The Indian top-order delivered against the West Indies. Virat Kohli’s admirable decision to not give up his number three position to Murali Vijay paid off as he took the team to a match-winning total.

However, Dinesh Karthik failed in the series for the third consecutive time whereas Suresh Raina‘s dry spell with the bat continues. MS Dhoni’s presence in the lower order gives the Indian batting an assurance of security as he has been the great escape artist for India. He can come in when the batting is in a slump and redeem the innings with a mature and responsible stay in the middle. He can also propel the score when a reasonable foundation has been set up.

India will have the luxury of another two years or so with the Indian captain, but they need to breed a replacement.

2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar makes India’s pace battery look good

Kumar picked up two early wickets to energize the Indians, which included the critical scalp of Chris Gayle. This was not the first time that right-handed swing bowler had Gayle in a muddle. His ability to swing the ball both ways is a rare weapon and one is tempted to make the extravagant comparison with James Anderson. He is far from being that good at the moment, but he is surely performing a similar role for India. India missed him against Sri Lanka and it could have been a different game if he was not rested.

1. Virat Kohli can deliver

The stand-in Indian captain delivered on all accounts in the match.

He showed responsibility, maturity and elegance with the bat. He did not commit the fatal mistake of sending in Murali Vijay in at number three as he did in the match against Sri Lanka. He had a good platform to build upon, but wickets started tumbling around him very soon; however, he kept his calm and scored a majestic century.These were not ideal conditions for his batting as the ball was not coming onto the bat; but once he settled in, he made full use of the erratic bowling.

He was on his feet as captain too, as his bowling changes were sensible. He gave Kumar a long spell when he was bowling well and used Umesh Yadav expertly in the middle of the innings. He passed this test with flying colours.