IND vs WI 2022: "The gulf of quality between the two sides was clearly visible" - Saba Karim after India's thumping win in 5th T20I
Former Indian wicketkeeper and selector Saba Karim believes Team India are far superior to the West Indies with respect to the quality of players at their disposal.
The Men in Blue played three spinners on a small ground in Florida for the fifth T20I on Sunday (August 7). While this could have backfired, given the power-hitters that West Indies had in their ranks, the spinners responded to the challenge brilliantly. The trio of Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav picked up all 10 wickets between them.
Speaking on India News Sports, Saba Karim praised the depth of talent India have and the faith the management have shown in their bench strength. He said:
"The chances given to these players show how much confidence the team management has in their ability. They played three spinners and all of them were among the wickets. Axar bowled really well with the new ball. Kuldeep and Bishnoi did the damage in the middle overs."
He added:
"West Indies are a young side, but they lack the temperament and technique to play such quality spin. They will need to work on this facet if they want to become a contender for the T20 World Cup. The gulf of quality between the two sides was clearly visible."
Thanks to Bishnoi's four-fer and three-wicket hauls from Yadav and Patel, the Men in Blue bowled West Indies out for just 100 in the second innings. The hosts fell a mammoth 89 runs short of their target after Shreyas Iyer's 64 propelled India to 188/7 in 20 overs.
West Indies had no clue on how to tackle India's high-quality spin: Rajkumar Sharma
Former Delhi Ranji Trophy cricketer and Virat Kohli's childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, was also present on the same panel. He too spoke about how well the Indian spinners mixed their length and pace and completely bamboozled the men from the Caribbean, stating:
"It was a huge experiment to go with three spinners, but they bowled really well and we're also economical. The West Indies batters had no clue how to tackle the high quality spin and except [Shimron] Hetmyer, no one could even compete."
Sharma added:
"So although this experiment was successful, the West Indies had a huge role to play in it because they couldn't compete in ODIs as well as T20Is."
Bishnoi 4 wickets, Axar 3 wickets and Kuldeep 3 wickets - first time in T20I all wickets have been taken by spinners.
Ravi Bishnoi was the pick of the Indian bowlers as he ended up with career-best figures of 4/16. Former cricketer Reetinder Sodhi, who was also a part of the panel, believes the wrist-spinner has staked his claim for a spot in their 2022 T20 World Cup squad. He stated:
"You simply can't ignore Ravi Bishnoi's performances now. He has emerged as a hot contender for the T20 World Cup. I can't understand how selectors will get rid of their headache because whoever has got the chance has performed well."
With their 88-run victory over West Indies in the fifth T20I, the Men in Blue secured a 4-1 series win to add to their 3-0 whitewash of the hosts in the ODI series.
Will Ravi Bishnoi make it to the T20 World Cup squad? Let us know in the comments.