India's top 3 run-scorers against West Indies in Tests
Team India were supposed to transition after the World Test Championship (WTC) final defeat at the hands of Australia last month. However, a few injuries and tumult in the selection committee have meant that they will play a two-match Test series against West Indies, which starts on Wednesday, July 12, with a squad that resembles a car that ran out of fuel soon after starting.
The batting lineup is all but the same after the loss to Australia. Only Cheteshwar Pujara, who's now stacking up runs in domestic cricket, has been dropped and young left-handed batter Yashasvi Jaiswal is likely to take his place.
Skipper Rohit Sharma, who has never opened in West Indies, will also probably know that he wouldn't have been the captain for the tour if a replacement was available. His deputy, Ajinkya Rahane, might feel the opposite, having been removed and then re-given the vice-captaincy after only one comeback Test.
The players got more time in the nets here than they did ahead of the WTC final. And with the 50-over World Cup and multiple white-ball rubbers looming, this practice is only useful for those who'll play domestic red-ball cricket after it.
It's still a chance for a few players like Gill, Jaiswal, and KS Bharat to create an impact and put their hand up for future selections. And the first thing they can do is look at Indias's best batting performers against West Indies.
Here is a look at the top three Indian run-scorers against the Windies in red-ball cricket:
#3 VVS Laxman
VVS Laxman has scored 1715 runs against West Indies, including four centuries and 11 half-centuries. He played his first match against them in 1997 at Kingston, and, like the other two in this list, scored a half-century.
After Australia, West Indies was Laxman's favorite team with respect to the runs he scored. His average of 57.16 against them was only behind New Zealand among all teams he faced in his career.
Laxman's best knock against West Indies came in his second-last Test against them at the iconic Eden Gardens.
Batting first, he and Rahul Dravid joined hands for another brilliant partnership (130 runs) at the venue. Dravid got out for 119 but Laxman went on to score 175, helping India win by an innings and 15 runs.
#2 Rahul Dravid
The only two guys part of the last test we played at Dominica in 2011. Never imagined the journey would bring us back here in different capacities. Highly grateful. 🙌 https://t.co/zz2HD8nkES
India's current head coach Rahul Dravid will have many a lesson to teach his pupils, some of whom are touring the West Indies for the first time.
For all the countries he played against, Dravid scored the most runs (1978) against the West Indies at the joint-best average of 63.81. Interestingly, though Dravid scored five double-tons in his career, he never crossed the 150-run mark against the Windies.
He scored half-centuries in both his first and last matches against West Indies in 1997 and 2011, respectively. Overall, India's 'Wall' recorded five three-figures (three of them away) and 13 half-centuries against the West Indies.
#1 Sunil Gavaskar
Birthday boy Sunil Gavaskar is the only Indian batter to score over 2000 Test runs against West Indies and is head and shoulders above the rest. The Little Master had a special connection with the Men in Marhoon.
He scored 65 and 67 not out against them on his international debut at the Port of Spain in 1971, scored a century each in Georgetown and Bridgetown, and a 124 and a 220 at the Port of Spain in the same series.
Singer Willard Harris composed a song for him that year with the lyrics: "It was Gavaskar, the real master, just like a wall. You know the West Indies could not out Gavaskar at all.”
The right-handed opener went on to score an overall 2749 runs from 27 matches, including 13 centuries and seven half-centuries at an average of 65.45.
Gavaskar's best Test knock also came against West Indies - a 236 not out in Chennai in 1983 versus an attack comprising Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshan, and Andy Roberts.