Beleaguered West Indies plagued by twin problems
An ingrained feature of the West Indies batsmen is their penchant to play shots regardless of the situation they are in. It makes them popular in the shorter formats but absolutely useless for Tests. Shorter formats have tempered their batting to such an extent that playing out time has become an alien concept.
That is the main reason for their shambolic form in Tests. It won’t change till they fix the problem at the grassroots. The root cause of West Indies crumbling was their inability to leave the ball and not using their feet. In the first innings, all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite watched a full delivery angle into him and take his off-stump.
This is a young team that will take time to soak in the pressure of international cricket. But without getting their basics right, it might be a daunting task. There were exceptions like opener Kraigg Brathwaite, who scored a half-century in the first innings. But his dismissal — a back of the length delivery rearing — played on his mind in the second innings, when he was trapped leg before by Ishant Sharma.
The most disappointed must be how Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo turned up. Bravo failed to score in both innings while Samuels didn’t capitalize on a start in the second innings. Skipper Jason Holder. “To be fair, they have to carry the demands of this young batting side. Unfortunately, Bravo didn’t get any runs. Marlon showed some form. It’s important for those two guys to carry the batting and lay the foundation.”
Carlos Brathwaite and Devendra Bishoo added 95 runs for the ninth wicket in the second innings. It showed that when their backs are to the wall, they can bat out time. “We need to string together partnerships for longer periods. We tend to get 20-30-run partnerships but haven’t been able to convert it to fifty and then onwards,” said Holder.
If West Indies are to stage a fight back in the series, they also need to have a serious look at including specialist bowlers instead of all-rounders. “I don’t think we executed well enough. We have played five bowlers before. Having said that, it still boils down to execution.”