I've been busy over the last couple of weeks and have therefore unfortunately been unable to watch as much of the third test between India and the West Indies as I would have liked. The match turned out to be quite a spectacle and proved yet again as to why test cricket remains the premier format of cricket by a long way. After the West Indies amassed 590 in the first innings and India replied with 482, it looked very much as if the game was going to end in a stalemate. The drama that unfolded on the 4th & the 5th day was quite unexpected.
Ashwin had another very good game and has now surely done enough to cement his place in the side for the immediate future. Expectations have to be realistic with regards to Ashwin and I hope the selectors give him an extended run in the side. It was also good to see young Aaron pick up his maiden 4-for. India have unearthed two young pace bowlers with potential. One hopes that the BCCI has learnt from the numerous mistakes made in the past and manages these youngsters better.
India's inability to chase down a very gettable total raises a few question marks about their batting line-up. Twice in three matches, India have collapsed against a bowling line-up that is hard-working at best. Sehwag was extremely lucky right through this series and yet he has been unable to make the most of it. GG has surprisingly gotten away with a worrying run of poor performances. His ODI form has somehow been able to mask his failures in the longer format of the game. Gambhir's shot selection has been poor and his tendency to open the face of the bat to try and run the ball down to third man is getting him into a lot of trouble in test match cricket.
Virat Kohli, who replaced Yuvraj Singh in the middle order, got some crucial runs in both innings. Kohli is a player with enormous talent. His challenge will be to overcome his technical limitations against the short ball. With Rohit Sharma making runs in domestic cricket, it seems as if the fight for that no#6 position is going to be between these 2.
All in all it was an entertaining series. The West Indians will be happy that they gave India a fight. It's not often that a team comes to India and does that. The West Indians can also take heart from the performances of some of the youngsters. Darren Bravo is fast losing Brian Lara's shadow and is coming into his own quite nicely. Kirk Edwards is another youngster who seems to have the talent to succeed at this level. Darren Sammy continues to perform as a bowler and as a captain. If the West Indies can build a team around some of these promising younger players, all may not be lost as yet.
India's inability to chase down a very gettable total raises a few question marks about their batting line-up. Twice in three matches, India have collapsed against a bowling line-up that is hard-working at best. Sehwag was extremely lucky right through this series and yet he has been unable to make the most of it. GG has surprisingly gotten away with a worrying run of poor performances. His ODI form has somehow been able to mask his failures in the longer format of the game. Gambhir's shot selection has been poor and his tendency to open the face of the bat to try and run the ball down to third man is getting him into a lot of trouble in test match cricket.
Virat Kohli, who replaced Yuvraj Singh in the middle order, got some crucial runs in both innings. Kohli is a player with enormous talent. His challenge will be to overcome his technical limitations against the short ball. With Rohit Sharma making runs in domestic cricket, it seems as if the fight for that no#6 position is going to be between these 2.
All in all it was an entertaining series. The West Indians will be happy that they gave India a fight. It's not often that a team comes to India and does that. The West Indians can also take heart from the performances of some of the youngsters. Darren Bravo is fast losing Brian Lara's shadow and is coming into his own quite nicely. Kirk Edwards is another youngster who seems to have the talent to succeed at this level. Darren Sammy continues to perform as a bowler and as a captain. If the West Indies can build a team around some of these promising younger players, all may not be lost as yet.
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