India vs West Indies: Hosts look to revive 2019 World Cup qualification race in 3rd ODI against dominant visitors

In modern cricket, and for better or worse, the term ‘context’ finds its way into the discussion every time a bilateral series is about to be played. Viewed from the lens of context, India’s tour of West Indies was condemned and was termed unnecessary the moment it was announced. But if there is any bilateral series that has some context, it is this one… well, only for the Windies. Their 2016 World Cup T20 triumph is a fading memory now and their cricket has since been in a steady state of decline. The team’s chances of achieving automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup look bleaker with every passing game. Put succinctly, Jason Holder’s men have put themselves in a very difficult position. The five-match ODI assignment against India was supposed to be an opportunity to build momentum and move up in the rankings. But after the hammering received in the second ODI, almost all their upcoming ODIs — against the Men in Blue, England and Ireland — are now of paramount importance. In fact, they are all must-win games (Caveat: There will be more breathing space for the Windies if the eighth-ranked team Sri Lanka loses to Zimbabwe in their ongoing series). A mistake here or there will force the 1975 and 1979 World Cup champions to play the qualifiers. [caption id=“attachment_3761411” align=“alignleft” width=“382”] India’s batsman Ajinka Rahane against West Indies in the first ODI. AP[/caption] This is a situation many had foreseen, but few can truly fathom until it becomes a reality. The road to the upcoming World Cup began a long time ago and the warning signs were visible all along. The last time the Windies won an ODI series was in 2014 against Bangladesh. The most damning indictment of the team was a drawn series against the 10th-ranked Afghanistan in June. Cricket West Indies had to host the later-inducted full member for two reasons: First, the Windies had failed to qualify for the 2017 Champions Trophy, and second, there was hope that Holder and Co could notch up some wins keeping the 2019 World Cup in mind. The race to qualify automatically for the World Cup had begun a while ago and the tournament isn’t for another two years, but it wouldn’t be unreasonable to say that a thumping loss in the third ODI could be one of the final nails in the the Windies’ coffin. If India prevail, the hopes of automatic qualification will have evaporated by the time this ‘inconsequential’ series ends, but if the Windies begin a winning streak, the race will continue till September. The latter ‘if’ is a big IF. In the second ODI against India at Port of Spain, the Windies batsmen looked out of sorts. Chasing a target of 311, it seemed that they had given up even before the chase. They didn’t show any intent. The asking run rate soared up so much that it must have dampened the enthusiasm of all but the most optimistic West Indian fans. Shai Hope was the only batsman who showed some fight. The bowling too was far from impressive. Ashley Nurse’s disciplined bowling demanded respect from the Indian batsmen, but barring that, all the bowlers were milked for runs easily. Ahead of the Port of Spain encounter, the hosts required reinforcements in both departments. But their selectors decided to strengthen the batting unit alone. Kyle Hope and Sunil Ambris have now been added to the 13-man squad for the remaining games in place of Jonathan Carter and Kieron Powell. Given that both Carter and Powell were a part of the playing XI, Hope and Ambris could make their respective debuts almost instantly. Holder and Co now need to make a flurry of changes in their bowling strategies if they want to survive in the series. The short-ball treatment has clearly not worked against India’s in-form batsmen. Leave aside a few deliveries that literally shot up out of nowhere, those balls have found themselves sailing over the fence more often than not. The Windies are missing the services of Shannon Gabriel, who has the ability to pick up wickets with the new ball, but is injured. But in Devendra Bishoo, they have a wrist spinner, the most sought-after skill in ODI cricket at present (read: Adil Rashid, Imran Tahir and Rashid Khan), who could attack from one end in the middle overs, while Nurse’s quality of curbing the run-flow could pile on the pressure. The 19-year-old Alzarri Joseph also needs to step up and show more vigour. It is crucial for the batsmen to finally show some intent. As far as the visitors are concerned, they have an embarrassment of riches. They have many weapons and have to decide on the correct time at which to deploy them. The introduction of Kuldeep Yadav was on the cards for a while, and the Chinaman didn’t take much time to showcase his talent. His quality to bewilder a batsman with natural variations and a distinct lack of fear when it comes to pitching the ball up despite going for runs, saw him scalp three wickets. Virat Kohli now has a decision to make: Whether to play the positive and ruthless Rishabh Pant or wait until the series is sealed. A cause of worry for the Men in Blue though is Yuvraj Singh, who made his comeback to the national side in January, and is going through a lean patch. His fielding also has been a cause for concern. Kohli has started deploying him in positions that are not too busy and yet, the room for improvement remains vast. R Sridhar, India’s fielding coach, was aware of the situation and insisted that the team management was addressing it. “Yuvraj… was among the pioneers of the fielding revolution in Indian cricket. He knows what he needs to do, he knows his body. So it is very important for us, as support staff, to understand his body and needs. So we have to be very careful in his workload and make sure that he is as fresh and fit as possible when he takes the field for those 50 overs. He wants to give his best and he is always there doing that for the team. There is no doubt about that,” Sridhar remarked . The series was expected to be one-sided and so far, it has not offered anything else. The onus is on the hosts to produce something magical to keep the series alive and make it interesting. Pakistan’s captain Sarfraz Ahmed noted ahead of his team’s clash against India on 4 June in the Champions Trophy that the pressure was on India, because Pakistan couldn’t fall below their 8th-place ranking. It may be recalled that it was Ahmed’s men who went on to clinch the title. Holder and his team could draw inspiration from them, work towards carrying the Windies closer to the 2019 World Cup and perhaps infuse the ongoing series with some much-needed ‘context’.