West Indies vs India 2019: Three Indian batsmen who failed to make their mark in the Test series

India’s first series in the ICC World Test Championship came to an end with Virat Kohli’s men whitewashing the West Indies. India had visited the West Indies to play three T20Is, three ODIs and two Test matches and surprisingly, the home side could not win a single match. With this victory, India has reached the top of the World Test Championship points table with 120 points from 2 matches.

All the players tried their best to perform and win for their side as this series witnessed the rise of new heroes. India’s vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane returned to form with some magnificent performances while Hanuma Vihari sealed his place in the team thanks to his maiden Test ton. Besides, Ishant Sharma evolved as a performer in both departments and Jasprit Bumrah rose up in the ICC Test rankings.

However, there were a few batsmen who failed to make their mark in the numbered whites. They were constantly being troubled by the West Indian pacers. Their poor show in this series might prove worrisome for the Indian side as they will lock horns with the mighty Proteas side next. We look at the three batsmen who could not contribute much to the team’s cause in this article.

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#3 KL Rahul

KL Rahul's poor form in Test cricket continued.

Team India had selected KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal as their two main openers for the side with Rohit Sharma being on the bench as the back-up option. KL Rahul, who has been a good performer for India in white-ball cricket, could not play a big knock while donning the white jersey and his performance raises questions on his selection as the main opener of the side.

The right-handed batsman was a part of the Indian side in both the Test matches. Rahul had an average start to this Test series as he managed to score 44 runs in the 1st innings of the 1st Test match. The same thing happened in the 2nd innings also as he was clean bowled by Roston Chase on 38 runs.

Despite his average show, Virat Kohli backed the opener and selected him for the 2nd Test which went even worse for the Indian star. Rahul scored a total of mere 19 runs in the two innings as the middle order of India came under tremendous pressure.

Virat Kohli kept faith in Rahul in the second Test as well.

#2 Cheteshwar Pujara

It's very rare to see Cheteswar Pujara fail in Test cricket.

One of the most reliable Test batsmen of India, Cheteshwar Pujara has been the cornerstone for the team in red-ball cricket owing to his ability to play long innings. He has been the saviour for the Indian team in many situations but he failed to make his mark in the recently-concluded Test series against the West Indies. Pujara’s highest score in this series was just 27 runs.

The 31-year-old batsman from Gujarat did not haveluck on his side in this series either. The number-three batsman aggregated 60 runs in four innings, which was a poor return by his high standards. It is very rare to see Pujara fail in the longest format of the game. He is regarded as the next Rahul Dravid of the Indian side because of his immaculate defensive skills.

Nevertheless, one can still back Pujara to show his true colors when he plays against South Africa in the upcoming series.

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#1 Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant is considered as the successor of MS Dhoni.

After the retirement of India’s legendary wicket-keeper MS Dhoni from Tests, the selectors have tried multiple wicket-keepers in Tests and, the young Rishabh Pant is being groomed for the same position at the moment.

Rishabh Pant is widely considered to be MS Dhoni’s successor owing to his exploits in the domestic circuit. He has now become a permanent member of the Indian side in all the three formats with Dhoni being out of the side for a while. However, his lack of maturity and aggressive nature of batting has sometimes been a matter of concern for the Indian side in the longest format.

The Delhi-based player was given the opportunity as the wicket-keeper batsman in both the Test matches ahead of the experienced Wriddhiman Saha. However, Pant failed to make the most out of the opportunities as his poor show with the bat continued. He managed to score a sum-total of 58 runs from three innings with his highest score being 27 runs.

He didn’t get the chance to bat in the second innings of the final Test match as India won the match but his failures may trouble the Indian side in the upcoming series.

Wriddhiman Saha was overlooked in favour of Pant in the Test series.