As the post-match presentation took place in Antigua, Shannon Gabriel stood near the sightscreen at the pavilion end. He was still in his whites as he was last man out, bowled by R Ashwin, his off-stump pegged back. Hands in pockets, he didn’t look interested in talking to any of the support staff standing just a few steps away, or even Joel Garner, the West Indies’ manager sitting in front.
Was he a bit angry at the result, an innings’ victory for India, a first in the Caribbean for them, a near-perfect demolition by a huge margin? It is easy to assume as much, though the real venting of his frustrations ought to have happened four days ago when the West Indies’ playing eleven was chosen.
India thrash West Indies by an innings and 92 runs with help from @ashwinravi99's 7 wickets with a day spare #WIvInd pic.twitter.com/2G5yIgHJQO
— ICC (@ICC) July 24, 2016
On a fresh pitch, with the new ball in hand, Gabriel had let it fly against the Indian top-order. Over by over, he had worked up his pace and put Shikhar Dhawan in great discomfort with his short deliveries. Murali Vijay edged one behind, the ball rising sharply and surprising him, owing to extra pace. “That delivery was really quick,” said Dhawan later that day, as he had watched from the non-striker’s end.
The ball had taken a bit of glove on its way to the slips, and since then Vijay hasn’t been fully fit. He didn’t take the field for three days afterwards, and is not a surety for the second Test starting in Jamaica on Saturday (July 30). The underlying point herein is that West Indies did have a pacer who troubled the Indian batsmen. Just that he didn’t have enough support from the other end, or from the benign pitch as the match progressed.
From the time of the toss, once the team sheets had been revealed, it was clear that West Indies had chosen a very defensive eleven. Their batting went deep, almost till no.9 with Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite, and later Devendra Bishoo capable of throwing his bat around. Yet, they were unable to stand a disciplined barrage from the five-pronged Indian attack, as the visitors were primed to take 20 wickets from ball one.
BREAKING: Murali Vijay ruled out of Jamaica Test with a thumb injury #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/AdvCdjXW8L
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) July 29, 2016
Consequently, once Gabriel was done with his initial spell, West Indies didn’t have a penetrative bowler to bring on. Both Holder and Brathwaite are part-time Test bowlers at best, with Dhawan shrugging off his short-ball deficiency and pulling both with aplomb. Their pace was just not enough to rattle the batsmen, to even induce early shots or edges, let alone build pressure and stop the scoring rate.
“In hindsight, it is plain that Miguel Cummins should have played. But this team is so young and inexperienced that they are just trying to look at what is the right combination for them. More than what they came into this match with, is what they are going to do in the next match because they have found out that they really need an extra bowler in order to get 20 wickets,” said former West Indies’ cricketer Ian Bishop.
For good measure then, 19-year-old Alzarri Joseph has been drafted into their squad this past week. The kid is a pacer, and made an impression in the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh with 13 wickets. While Cummins too is uncapped, never mind the inexperience problem, their team management will atleast have more options to choose from.
Alzarri Joseph from the Michael Holding End? Will we see that tomorrow at Sabina Park? #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/pMreiyVB4S
— westindies (@westindies) July 29, 2016
What should help them make a decision is the green wicket that the Sabina Park grounds men are busy preparing for this second Test. Lively grass and ample bounce should bring a smile to Gabriel’s face, and indeed help him get an able new-ball partner. It would also thaw the debate over pitches in the Caribbean for once.
“Personally I thought the Antigua pitch was a good one,” said Bishop. “There were runs to be scored of course, but the fast bowlers found pace and bounce if they were willing to bend their backs. And then R Ashwin spun the ball on day four, so that looked like a good Test wicket for a well-rounded attack which India currently possess.”
“Look, I don’t particularly believe in home advantage. I would rather see good cricketing surfaces regardless of strength. But a grassy wicket will help West Indies bring their bowlers into play against this Indian batting line-up. Whether that is an advantage, only time can tell because India have their bases covered,” he added.
His words might seem like heady praise, but it isn’t. Truth told, in former Test skipper MS Dhoni’s words, their Antigua performance was the completion of a process for the Indian bowlers. On pitches where the average bowler wouldn’t get any assistance, this attack had nearly always struggled. Johannesburg (2013) and Wellington (2014) are two matches that come to mind.
Give them slight assistance and this same attack can cause an upset. Lord’s (2014) is a fine example herein. You cannot always wait for such pitches to come along though. Thus, by bringing in the fifth bowler, current skipper Virat Kohli introduced an element that helps them achieve this goal more often now – shorter spells, disciplined line and length, backed up by some great fielding.
To say then, which team will be happier on seeing the greenish tinge on day one morning of this second Test is a tough one. Perhaps the hosts, aware that the equation for their bowlers, against the Indian batting might, will be more balanced.
But what of their flailing batsmen, who will be left to fend for themselves against the likes of Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami on a green top? We shall find out soon enough.
