At practice, far from perfect

West Indies bowled out for 148 by India A in first warmup game; lose in 25.3 overs after Amit Mishra's heroics.

Jerome Taylor is bowled by Amit Mishra, who finished with 3/26. (Source: Express photo by Kevin D’Souza)

Oh, but they’ve played so much IPL cricket. They sure should know these Indian conditions and also how to play spin.”

It’s an assessment that is used both copiously and at times apathetically whenever it’s a discussion regarding modern-day West Indian batsmen. More often than not, however, it’s turned into an unwarranted assumption that has hounded them instead of embellishing their credentials. For, while they’ve been very much at home in tackling the challenges of the subcontinent in IPL attire, when in maroon apparel, the Indian climes have seemed progressively alien for the men from the Caribbean.

So, as he made his way to the crease at the CCI on Friday, Darren Sammy would have hoped that it was the IPL and not the West Indies’ first outing on what will be their longest tour to India in over a decade. The score read 75/5. The top-order had hardly shown much spine, with opener Lendl Simmons actually retiring hurt with back spasms. But crucially, welcoming Sammy to the crease was the leg-spinning duo of Amit Mishra and Karn Sharma. And if this was the IPL, the two would have been on his side donning Sunrisers Hyderabad colours, and not busy plotting his downfall.

As things turned out, the former West Indian Test and ODI skipper would last all of three deliveries, before being cleaned-up by a Mishra skidder that crept past his defences. Much in the same fashion as that other IPL bully Kieron Pollard had perished to the seasoned Indian leggie’s googly in his previous over.

little practice

Practice games are generally all about visiting batsmen wanting to spend valuable time at the crease. But as Sammy departed, this was fast turning into a competition for the fastest and briefest forays in the middle for the West Indians. And the match itself was turning into an implausible farce.

The West Indians were facing up to India’s second-string spin attack more like novices rather than overseas professionals. In the end, their implosion against the turning ball resulted in a farcical total of 148 with the India A bowlers not even having to bowl 40 overs to wipe them out. A target propped up mainly by the return to form of Marlon Samuels, a man on his umpteenth comeback trail in West Indian colours.

So is this a warning about how the rest of the series is going to pan out? If you are someone who judges a movie based solely on trailers, you would look forward to the ODI series more with dread and anticipation.

Samuels graceful

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Samuels, to his credit, was at his graceful best with most of his shots straight out of the Jamaican’s vintage collection. He drove with elegance and pierced gaps at different angles through the region ranging from point to mid-off. His footwork against the spinners was immaculate, and a master-class for those cooling their heels at CCI’s dressing-room. But eventually, he too fell prey to the old West Indian habit of playing back to spin, and was trapped in front by a customary quicker one from Sharma, who then finished the innings off by bowling Ravi Rampaul.

Samuels wasn’t convinced about the umpire’s decision, but he had in turn provided a convincing display of his innate talents with a breezy 59-ball 56.

Jason Holder held fort briefly too, showcasing his potential with the bat, but then perished to an audacious swing across the line to a straight delivery from Parvez Rasool, which made it six out of nine wickets to the spinners.

Most embarrassingly for the visitors, their early decimation ensured that India A could bat out seven overs of their run-chase before the stipulated lunch-break. And when they returned, Unmukt Chand looked hungry enough to feast on the wayward bowling of the West Indians.

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Chand cut with force, and he pulled with power and then when Samuels came on, he launched him repeatedly over the leg-side fence to finish unbeaten on a 81-ball 79. It was a reminder to the national selection panel seated in the air-conditioned confines of the CCI that he wasn’t quite a child prodigy gone astray but was one still capable of living up to his prodigal hype.

On the other hand, the dismal performance by the visitors with both bat and ball was a stark reality-check to the star-studded support staff of the West Indians of how drastically they need to improve to ensure that this poor first impression wasn’t an ominous sign of things to come over the next month and a half.

Brief Scores: West Indies 148 (Marlon Samuels 56, Jason Holder 21; Amit Mishra 3/26, Karn Sharma 2/27) lost to India A 149 for 1 in 25.3 overs (Unmukt Chand 79*; Roach 1 for 28) by 9 wickets.

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