5 West Indies players who can surprise India in Tests
West Indies return to the Indian shores after a gap of five years to play a Test series with fresh talent. Here are the five players from the Caribbean who can make an impact.
Number one Test team in the World, India, is now ready to host the West Indian side for a brief two-match Test series. The action begins on 4th October with the first Test match scheduled at Rajkot.
India maintained its numero uno position in Test cricket despite conceding series losses such as 1-2 in South Africa and 1-4 in England on their recent away tours. West Indies, on the other hand, drew a series against Sri Lanka and defeated Bangladesh this year at home.
The Indian Test team is a dominating force in the home conditions and they have steamrolled over teams like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, South Africa, England and Australia in the last two years. The visiting Windies side is full of young blood and will be seeking to fight hard against the current World Champions in their own den. The Caribbean side is not to be taken gently as they proved in their win over England in the Leeds Test in August 2017.
The last time West Indies toured India for a Test series was in 2013 where they lost both the matches by an innings margin. The complexion of the team has changed drastically in the last five years with incoming fresh talents. Here are five players from the current West Indian squad that can surprise India in Tests.
#1 Shimron Hetmyer
The 21-year old left-hand batsman is a bright prospect from Guyana. Hetmyer was in the limelight since he lead the West Indies Under-19 team to its maiden championship in Bangladesh, 2016. He subsequently made his Test debut against Pakistan in April 2017 and then earned his place in the limited overs side of West Indies.
The youngster has been impressive with his crisp shot-making and fluid timing of the ball. Although Hetmyer’s Test career is only six Tests old, he has provided glimpses of capabilities with his knocks of 66(89) against New Zealand at Wellington and 86(105) versus Bangladesh at Jamaica.
In CPL 2018, Shimron Hetmyer became the youngest CPL centurion with a hundred from only 47 balls. The Guyanese batsman will be excited to take on India’s bowling attack in his first venture on subcontinental pitches.