India vs West Indies 2nd Test: Windies must look to make best use of conditions; Gill should go back at the top

India pulled off a one-sided win over West Indies in the first Test at Dominica courtesy some top-notch performances in the match. Rohit Sharma, India captain, led from the front. He struck a fabulous looking hundred to come back to form. Young Yashasvi Jaiswal was brilliant in the first game, proving the selectors’ faith in him. He took up the opportunity at the top of the order with both hands and made a statement that he belongs to this level already.

There is no doubt, in my mind, that Jaiswal is a great talent. But I will stick to my earlier point made in the preview article that Shubman Gill should have continued to open the innings in Tests for India. In my view, India should not do anything to possibly interrupt the tumultuous rise of Gill. He is a real plus for India, looking at the future. In a very short time, he has made an instant impact in international cricket.

Jaiswal is a terrific cricketer too and in no way, am I trying to say that he should not be in the playing XI. Rather, I would want to see him bat at No 3 for India and Gill at the top. I understand the reasoning behind Gill coming to bat No 3, filling in the spot emptied by Cheteshwar Pujara with a high-class and experienced batter, but I do not agree with it. I feel that No 3 is not the right spot for Gill in Tests. Jaiswal at No 3 and Gill at the top is the right way to go, in my view.

R Ashwin shows his class again

I am always surprised when R Ashwin does not feature in a Test match for India if he is fit enough to take field. I hope the management backs him to play on all pitches, maybe like how Australia do with Nathan Lyon. The 12 wickets in the first Test paved the way for India’s win. He was unplayable, on many occasions, and with his range of deliveries, Ashwin becomes a must-pick most times India step out in white-clothing.

I was not surprised by watching India’s convincing win over West Indies. I thought they were well prepared. It is very rare to see a touring side give so much time to themselves by arriving in the country a good week to ten days in advance, especially in today’s day and age when the preparation time has only been reduced due to the packed schedule. It was also nice to see Jaydev Unadkat get a game. He did not get many chances to have a go at the batters as the game played out in a different way. But I hope they stick to Unadkat for the 2^nd Test. He needs to do the same thing again and hope to be more incisive in this game.

As far as West Indies are concerned, they play at home but do not seem to be making best use of the home conditions. Pitches in the West Indies have gone slower and slower over the years. The strength of the current West Indies side is not their batting but bowling. Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph and Jason Holder are their front-line bowlers. I feel that West Indies should look to provide the conditions which help their frontline bowlers, their obvious strength, to dominate the proceedings in the middle. When you are playing at home, you need conditions that suit the strength of your team. That’s one area to look at when you are competing against a strong team like India, from Windies point of view. Try and make things as hard as possible for opponents, in terms of conditions.

West Indies’ top two is also potentially their strength, in my opinion. I find Tagenarine Chanderpaul as a genuine top-order player. Kraigg Brathwaite is a quality opener but neither of them fire in the two innings at Roseau. I was impressed with Alick Athanaze, who top -scored for West Indies in both the innings, on debut. He is an encouraging sign for West Indies, especially at a time when the side is struggling across formats. He is a big hope for Windies in times to come. At a time like this, you need these younger players who can build the team for the future and give hope to the fans that things will change for good soon.

West Indies have replaced Raymon Reifer with a young spinner Kevin Sinclair. It will be interesting to see if conditions will suit the offie in Port of Spain.

In a nutshell, West Indies must look to make best use of the home conditions with their frontline bowlers also living up to their high standards in the 2^nd Test. They can do so by leaving some grass on the pitch maybe to suit a decent pace attack. Only then we might see the West Indies give this strong Indian side a real challenge.