3 biggest positives for India from their Test series win vs West Indies
Rain played spoilsport on the final day of the 2nd Test between West Indies and India at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad. While the match ended in a draw, the visitors took the series by a 1-0 margin.
It was a thoroughly dominant performance by India throughout the course of the Test series. Having trumped the West Indies by an innings and 141 runs in Dominica, they were primed to complete a clean sweep until the weather had other ideas.
Rohit Sharma and Co. will be buoyed by the start that they've made to the newest cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) as they take a break from the format now in the build-up to the 50-over World Cup.
India win the Test series 1-0 🏆🇮🇳
📸 Fancode
#WIvIND #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/MTPctKrb6Q
On the back of their series triumph, let's look at the three biggest positives for India to take away from the same:
#1 Debutants grab their chances with both hands
Yashasvi Jaiswal joins the two Indian captains in the record books 🔥🔖
#Cricket #Jaiswal #Ganguly #Rohit #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/9PwafMjjOh
Yashasvi Jaiswal completed the two-Test series against the West Indies as the leading run-getter with 266 runs, including a marathon 171 in the first Test in Dominica. However, he wasn't the only Indian debutant to make a mark in the series.
Ishan Kishan blitzed an unbeaten 34-ball 52 to set up an early declaration in the second innings of the Trinidad Test. Seamer Mukesh Kumar also bowled economically while sticking to a probing radar as he bagged a couple of wickets on debut in the 2nd Test.
India are inevitably entering a period of transition in the longest format and need to ensure that it's a smooth process. The newcomers grabbing their chances with both hands is certainly a start and it is something that will please the think-tank as the WTC cycle rolls along.
#2 The emergence of Mohammed Siraj as the leader of the pace attack
Mohammed Siraj achieved his career-best bowling figures in a Test innings against West Indies.⭐
#MohammedSiraj #WIvIND #IndianCricket pic.twitter.com/CFEDoY5d54
In the presence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami, one probably wouldn't dub Mohammed Siraj as the leader of India's pace attack. Yet again, though, he showed just why he is ready to take on that mantle, on the back of a successful series in the Caribbean.
Siraj's second five-wicket haul in Tests blew the hosts' lower order away to give India a sizeable lead in Trinidad. In fact, his first five-wicket haul came in the famous Brisbane Test of 2021, where he was the de facto leader of the pack despite it being only his third Test.
Siraj's strong showing in ODIs over the last year, coupled with his exploits in the IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), are enough testament to his growth as a bowler. India have a potential bowling leader for the years to come irrespective of who partners him in that department.
#3 Virat Kohli's fluency in the 2nd Test
A special knock in a special match 🤩
King Kohli - The GOAT! 🐐
#ViratKohli #WIvIND #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/DDI46Ix4Sa
Having broken his century drought in Tests against Australia earlier this year, Virat Kohli backed it up with his 29th in the format in Trinidad. This was to go with a dogged 76 in the first Test, as well as a fluent 49 in the second innings of the World Test Championship final last month.
Considering that Kohli has been tied down from scoring fluently in the last couple of years, his century in Trinidad is a massive shot in the arm for India. Of course, you don't question his skill and the fact that he's one of the greatest of his generation, but the ease with which he constructed his innings is massive in many ways.
It augurs really well for the team as they usher the transition period in with tough tours of South Africa and Australia beckoning, apart from a home series against England in the winter. If Kohli continues to fire in this manner, it is bound to correlate with more success for India.
What according to you was India's biggest takeaway from the 2-match Test series against the West Indies? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!
Also read: 3 best Doug Bollinger moments in the IPL