West Indies has announced its team for the upcoming one day series against India before the second test against India has even got underway in Mumbai. Given the way they were defeated inside 3 days in Kolkata one would have imagined that the board would take some time to watch the second test and then take a decision from there but obviously they had other plans like perhaps giving the members of one day team some time to get themselves ready, especially from a mental point of view, for a tough series against the highest ranked team in international one day cricket.
Following is an attempt to take a closer look at the various players that comprise the team:
Dwayne Bravo: He will be leading the squad. The genuine allrounder is a pivotal player of the team in the limited over matches but has strangely not been selected for the test team in spite of his capability to contribute in all departments.
Tino Best: One of the fastest bowlers going around Best is a combative cricketer and these qualities could come in handy against the Indians on their backyard. He will be expected to perform a major role in the absence of Kemar Roach.
Darren Bravo: The younger Bravo has not done sufficient justice to his immense talent. He has been, for too long, in the shadow of Brian Lara and needs to perform well in this series in order for that tag to go away.
Johnson Charles: The specialist limited over opener has now donned the gloves in order to give his team some much needed balance. Much will depend on the explosive starts he can provide up the order in tandem with Chris Gayle.
Narsingh Deonarine: He is a decent cricketer given the fact that he can bat well and is capable of contributing a few overs here and there as well. However, it is unlikely that he will play any role in the series.
Chris Gayle: The most sought after opener in the T20 leagues around the world enjoys playing the limited overs game and has always been a critical component in his team’s successes in these matches.
Jason Holder: He does not have the pace to bother top flight batsmen but is accurate and can keep the runs down in the end overs, which makes him a valuable asset in limited over games. He should be a certain started in the one day team.
Sunil Narine: He is one of the finest off spinners going around and in the one-dayers his immense variety makes it very hard to pick and dominate him. It was also a mystery as to how he was left out of the test squad to India.
Veersammy Permaul: His is a strange selection considering he has been hardly been able to perform in the first test and does not look likely to cause any flutters. Probably Shane Shillingford would have been a better choice.
Kieran Powell: He has a decent record in tests but it is unlikely that he will be playing in the one day matches given that his record in that format is not good enough. However, he does possess the tenacity and skills needed to play a long innings and should play the role of sheet anchor if selected.
Denesh Ramdin: Given the fact that Kieron Pollard is not playing this series he might just get a chance to play as a wicketkeeper. However, he needs to play a lot better with the bat in order to justify his place in the team.
Ravi Rampaul: The team missed his services badly in the test matches and he will be looking forward to make amends in the 50 over matches where he has established himself as a leader of the attack.
Darren Sammy: In spite of his wholehearted efforts he has not been able to justify his place as a batsman or as a bowler and described by many including Rahul Dravid as a weak link in the Windies outfit, However, he has performed better in the one day matches and one could expect him to make a telling contribution or two in the upcoming series.
Marlon Samuels: He is a valuable allrounder for the Windies one day team, He is the main batsman in the team and also one of the best spinners. Much will depend on his performance.
Lendl Simmons: He is an invaluable player for the West Indies in the one day format and is a reliable top order player who can chip in with a couple of economic overs. He is also a good fielder to boot.
The team, in all, looks a decent enough but the omission of Sheldon Cotterrell is strange considering he is a good quick bowler and Windies will need someone of his ilk against the Indian batters. If they are hoping to do with spin then perhaps they may be taking a major risk considering Indian batsmen are better off playing spin than pace.
