Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey
CWC 2019 – India v West Indies: 5 key talking points. IND vs WI: 5 key talking points from their 2019 World Cup match
It was a sunny, bright and cloudless day in Manchester. The kind we haven’t seen very often – if at all – in CWC 2019. However, that is where the good news ended for West Indies, with their World Cup campaign coming to a very tame end after such a promising beginning.
India, despite a few bumps along the way in their batting innings, won with ease. They took in the Manchester sunshine, with West Indies’ batting effort resembling a training session at times rather than a World Cup match.
Below are five talking points from India’s very easy 125-run win.
Download: Making cricket an interactive experience! Discover Harrison Cricket Apps ODI version. For full screenshots, click here.
1. Mohammed Shami highlights India’s bowling depth
“What a bowler this Mohammed Shami is”, exclaimed an excited Harsha Bhogle in commentary as Shami knocked over the crucial Shai Hope. And right he is.
It is worth noting that Mohammed Shami finds it challenging to make India’s first XI. His stats in 2019 have been superb, taking 27 wickets in 13 ODIs at an average of just 20.66. But, he sat behind the quality Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah in the pecking order. It is a big strength of India’s that they can turn to Shami in a time of need, and then have him deliver two four-wicket hauls in a row.
However, Shami should have been man of the match this time after rightly missing out to Jasprit Bumrah against Afghanistan. Sure, Virat Kohli played a vital knock, but a score of 268, even on a slower pitch, is a total the Windies are capable of chasing. Shami didn’t allow for it, removing three of the Windies’ best players to give them no chance of victory.
Teams playing India will have to take guard against his skiddy bowling, whilst trying to get the better of Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. This is testament to India’s bowling depth – a change from years gone by where their batting was far superior.
Also read: Is Jasprit Bumrah the world’s best all-format bowler?
2. Out with Vijay Shankar, in with Rishabh Pant?
Vijay Shankar showed some promising signs in the home series against Australia earlier this year. His batting was irresistible at times, and when you can also get an over or two out of him, he suddenly looks a very good option for India.
However, things haven’t gone as planned for Vijay Shankar. An underwhelming IPL 2019 campaign has preceded what is an underwhelming World Cup to date, unable to take advantage of his opportunity at number four. So, is it time for Rishabh Pant to get his chance? Even though Pant hasn’t quite fired yet in ODIs, an attacking left-hander is something India could benefit from in their order filled with right-handed batsmen.
Download: Making cricket an interactive experience! Discover Harrison Cricket Apps ODI version. For full screenshots, click here.
3. Does India’s middle order inspire enough confidence?
It was scratchy against Afghanistan and things were on the same path against West Indies.
KL Rahul’s caution leaves India needing plenty of impetus in the middle overs. Plenty of dots was the theme throughout, with MS Dhoni having to finish off well after making his own slow start. There is no cricketer on the planet who could have his name chanted while batting on 34 off 49 balls with a few overs to go. It goes to show how much Dhoni is loved, with a widely-shared belief that he can deliver glory for India.
However, what this also shows is how crucial Hardik Pandya is to India’s cause. Like Glenn Maxwell for Australia, Hardik is required to lift the momentum for India in the final 20 overs. He was able to in this game, but like Australia, India can lose momentum if their middle order is required to do significant work. Following on from the previous point, it could very well be time for Rishabh Pant to come in and give India another dimension.
4. A very disappointing campaign for West Indies
West Indies were looked at as a very dangerous team heading into CWC 2019. Their complete demolition of Pakistan had their fans excited and rivals on alert.
However, they haven’t won a game since. They had two great opportunities to – against Australia and New Zealand – but let themselves down in key stages. If 500 was to be scored at this tournament, many believed it could have been the Windies to achieve this, but they have been so under par that even their highest score of 321 was chased with ridiculous ease by Bangladesh.
So, where to now for the Windies? Jason Holder, who has helped put smiles back on faces in a tough few years, certainly should remain captain. What the Windies lack is the discipline to maintain periods of dominance; instead relying on pieces of individual brilliance to keep them in matches. If Shai Hope is dismissed early, who else can anchor the innings? At the moment, a ‘boom or bust’ approach – the kind nervous England have – is not sustainable in big games.
5. Kemar Roach proves a point
West Indies’ team balance came under fire earlier in the tournament. They preferred to play a busted Andre Russell as their fifth bowler against Bangladesh, after Carlos Brathwaite was also preferred to another specialist seamer earlier in the tournament.
Kemar Roach might have seen this as a bit of a slap in the face. Here, he gave a glimpse into the value he could have provided for West Indies earlier in the tournament, producing a gem of a display that pushed India onto the back foot. Unfortunately for he and the Windies, Oshane Thomas and Carlos Brathwaite were unable to follow on his great work, with only Sheldon Cottrell holding his own.
All-in-all, it was another tough day for West Indies.
Also read: Check out my five talking points from every CWC 2019 game! The latest:
Pakistan v New Zealand: Brilliant Babar emulates his idol Virat Kohli
England v Australia: Kevin Pietersen is mighty nervous now
Download: Making cricket an interactive experience! Discover Harrison Cricket Apps ODI version. For full screenshots, click here.
Thanks for reading!
