Three Indian cricketers who averaged more than 50 in Tests at West Indies
After having trounced the West Indies in both the T20 and ODI series, India carried on their form by defeating West Indies by a margin of 318 runs in the first Test. The victory ensured that India's World Test Championship campaign started on winning note.
West Indies had no answers to the magical spells weaved by Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah as India extended their unbeaten run against the West Indies to 22 Tests.
The Caribbean is a strange place to play cricket because of the varying pitch conditions. On a given day, one could expect the ball nipping around with a lot of pace and bounce, eventually hustling the batsmen. On other days, the pitch tends to wear out fast, ultimately resulting in the opening up of cracks. The spinners can exploit those cracks and create havoc for the batsmen. Added to this, the bounce is mostly uneven and the weather changes quickly.
Right from the era where the West Indies dominated the game in the 1970s to their downfall and the resurrection in the current times, only a handful of batsmen have tasted success in such conditions.
Here are three Indian cricketers (minimum 10 matches) who had averaged over 50 in the West Indies in Tests.
#3 Polly Umrigar
Polly Umrigar was the backbone of the Indian batting line up in the 1950s. Along with being known for his captaincy and all-round abilities, he also played a pivotal role in India’s away Test campaigns.
In the 10 Tests that he played in West Indies, he amassed 1005 runs at a stupendous average of 55.83. As Indian cricket looked to gain ascendancy in those times, Umrigar revolutionized the art of the batting and inspired a whole host of next-generation cricketers.
He caused nightmares to the West Indies' bowlers by playing the waiting game and looking to occupy the crease. His efforts paid fruitful results as he scored 3 centuries and 7 half-centuries.
After his demise in 2006, BCCI introduced an award in his name for the most outstanding Indian cricketer of the year.
Also see – India vs South Africa Dream 11 prediction