***Official*** West Indies in India 2014

[OverratedSanity]

Should've played our A side.

 

[NasserFan207]

I hate when tail-enders just dab the ball around at the end of an innings when the game is gone. One aspect where baseball has a distinct advantage over cricket. Such a waste of time.

 

[ankitj]

This is one of those things which sounds great in your head until you actually try to come up with examples and you suddenly find they don't exist.

I don't know what you mean.

 

[Beamer]

Wow, a superb all around performance in the face of huge adversity. I must say since Curtly started mentoring and Taylor and Roach came back our seam bowling has been brilliant.

Still, we've won well in India before and still lost the series so let's hope they can keep it up.

 

[Energetic]

India are not as dominant at home these days. Maybe because its due to these foreigners playing in IPL and gaining lots of experience under massive crowds. Its shocking given the talent West Indies has they are ranked the worst amongst the top 8 in the main forms.

 

[BeeGee]

Great win for the Windies, especially given the off field issues they've been dealing with.

Random observation: ridiculous number of wides in this game.

 

[Woodster]

Was really impressed with WI today. Saw all of the first half and mainly highlights of the second innings, but it was the batting that set up this wonderful victory and great credit must go to Samuels and Ramdin for that partnership. They batted sensibly even during the batting the batting powerplay taking 52 risk-free runs without the usual clutter of wickets. However, and this isn't to put a downside on an excellent performance, they do need to find this kind of consistency over the course a series and ensure this isn't an isolated performance of this standard. India will come back strongly on Saturday and WI need to show the same application and enthusiasm, and no less skill, to remain competitive, and more, throughout.

 

[hendrix]

Everyone knows how to bowl to Kohli now.

I'm sure he'll overcome it but it's fascinating to see how ruthlessly a mode of dismissal can be targeted.

 

[Spark]

In fairness, "bowl outswingers just wide of off stump" isn't a novel tactic, even if he's unusually susceptible to it at lines outside off that most would just leave well alone.

 

[hendrix]

Yeah but it's not just that, it's not giving him anything straight and watching him move further and further across as he looks to score.

He moves across expecting the bowler to oblige and give him something on his pads and when it's not he tries to play straight but it's too late.

 

[Jono]

6 overs in to India's innings WI were paying $3. I said "that's ridiculous, should really bet on that" and then went to bed.

God damn it

 

[Contra]

This is what happens to India when Dhoni gets out cheaply. He's single handedly the reason for most of their chasing successes.

Kohli is as big a contributor as Dhoni is while chasing, although Dhoni has done it for longer.

Anyways it was a rather lame batting display in the end. Real problem still lies in the bowling department, Mohit Sharma and Amit Mishra? Severely underestimating the WI IMO.

 

[cnerd123]

Mishra and Mohit are about as good as India have tho lol.

India's bowling stocks a perennially thin. Some combination of Bhuvi, Shami, Ashwin, Jadeja, Mishra, M Sharma, I Sharma and Yadav will be bowling for us in the WC. Doesn't really inspire confidence.

Kohli's lack of runs is a big issue. Dhawan's been on a bit of a slide as well.

 

[hendrix]

Mishra's been pretty good recently hasn't he?

Not sure about Mohit though.

 

[cnerd123]

Mishra's taking wickets that's for sure, but he's hardly an Ajmal.

Mohit hasn't looked bad when I've seen him bowl TBH. Around Shami's pace, a bit slower, gets the ball to move around, has a really nice slower ball to use at the death.

Mohit, Yadav, Shami, Buvi, Aaron and Ishant do all have the raw materials to be a good ODI pace bowling battery. They're just so inconsistent, and some of them are wrecked by playing too much cricket and in all 3 formats. Shami has looked poor since the Lord's Test for example.

 

[hendrix]

Shami's drop in form is particularly damning of the Indian system.
He was good. Genuinely good against the Windies at home. Genuinely good in South Africa. Genuinely good in NZ too.
You expect a young bowler to have a poor innings or two (e.g. the Wellington test and the second innings of the first test in South Africa) or even to be dropped, so long as he develops from that. He's just regressed significantly though, with no sign of anyone looking to turn that around.

At least Umesh was dropped and given an opportunity to re-evaluate where things were going wrong (although he should have been back in the team for the England series). Shami's end point appears to be Ishant Sharma's career.

 

[Contra]

I firmly believe that when you don't have bowlers of great quality, you must pick those that can inflict the greatest damage on their day. Mohit Sharma might possibly have better numbers, and I don't question his honesty and commitment to his game. But even on a good day he might 2-3 at most. I can't see him making any major impact against high quality teams, but I can see someone like Aaron (regardless of how inconsistent he is) causing top cricketers some trouble. To some extent even Umesh Yadav can do the same, but I feel Aaron is the better bet for ODIs (and Yadav for tests).

Sure with guys like Yadav and Aaron you can end up getting pasted, but those guys can also bowl you into a winning position. I don't think Mohit Sharma, Iswar pandey and whoever else can match Aaron at their respective peaks.

 

[hendrix]

Particularly when the spinners aren't the strike weapons anymore, and particularly under the new fielding restrictions.

 

[cnerd123]

Aaron and Yadav may be more destructive at their peak...but this is ODI cricket we are talking about. India have the batting firepower (or had rather, as Kohli is shot...) to chase down scores around 300 pretty comfortably. You are now looking for a bowling attack that can ensure you are chasing that level consistently.

With Mohit, Pandey, Vinay Kumar...these guys won't tear apart a side, but won't go for more that 60-65 in their 10 overs. Backed by the spinners, it sets a reasonable score to chase each time.

Yadav and Aaron as they are now are the kind of bowlers you can see bleeding 20 runs in an over, and returning figures like 6 overs for 50 odd. The batsmen will no longer have around 300 to chase each time, they will be chasing <220 when these guys have a good day but possibly >320 when they have a bad one.

 

[hendrix]

No team will chase 300 consistently against the good bowling attacks on decent pitches. Even with Dhoni and Kohli firing in NZ India failed and got worse as the series went on.

They need to take wickets.