CIARAN MCCARTHY explores the themes to watch out for ahead of West Indies' T20I series against India
India have called up a number of players who are either yet to play or have played very little T20I cricket.
Wrist-spinner Ravi Bishnoi and paceman Avesh Khan have never played an international game, but with new captain Rohit Sharma at the helm, they may be afforded opportunities to showcase their skills in this series, and why shouldn’t they?
Khan was in the running for the purple cap for much of IPL 2021, eventually taking 24 wickets, and Bishnoi has taken just shy of 50 wickets in 42 T20 games.
The same goes for the likes of Ishan Kishan and Harshal Patel, both products of the IPL, who have used the tournament as a gateway to opportunity in the India side.
Patel won the 2021 purple cap, taking a staggering 32 wickets at an average of 14.34, and has been rewarded with two T20I caps so far, taking four wickets.
Kishan hit a fairly pedestrian 241 from 10 innings in last year's IPL but averages close to 30 in the tournament having consistently performed in previous seasons. The top-order batter has featured five times in T20 cricket for India, passing 50 on one occasion, and averages 28.25.
The visitors, despite being in somewhat of a transitional period in their white-ball sides, have utilised most of their squad on multiple occasions.
Ravi Bishnoi [Mike Hewitt/Getty Images] and Avesh Khan [Pal Pillai/Getty Images] will be hoping to get a chance to impress against West Indies
However, Kyle Mayers is one player in the Windies squad who is yet to fully have an impact on the international stage, having played just four T20I games.
He featured at the top of the order in the final two games against England and showed glimpses of his quality, hitting 40 from 23 deliveries in the fourth T20 and 31 from 19 in the fifth. He’s clearly a capable batter with an explosive strike rate but he will need a series of strong performances against India to cement his place in the side.
Allrounder Romario Shepherd has played 14 games in T20I cricket, and has mainly been utilised for his bowling, though he has shown his capabilities as a lower-order pinch hitter.
The 27-year-old was ever-present against England and made his biggest contribution in the second match when he clobbered 44 from 28 deliveries - only 10 of his runs didn't come from boundaries. He will, however, be eager to refine his bowling average against India as it is currently up above 30.
No longer burdened by the shackles of captaincy in any format, enigmatic Indian batter Virat Kohli will have an opportunity to really focus on his own game during this series.
Of players to have played 20 innings, Kohli has the best batting average in T20I history, with 52.04. What’s more, he averages almost 10 runs more when he is not captain compared to when he is, and has an impressive record against West Indies, averaging 62.62. He also posted his T20I high score (94 not out) against them.
KL Rahul’s T20I batting average places him seventh on the all-time list, with the wicketkeeper averaging a respectable 40.68. Like his former captain, he also enjoys facing West Indies, averaging 58.53 against the two-time world champions and striking his T20I career high-score of 110 (51 balls) against them in 2016.
The West Indian bowlers will not be too enamoured with the prospect of bowling to two of the greatest T20 batsmen of this generation, especially as they seem to take their batting to the next level when facing them.
For the opposition, Windies captain Kieron Pollard has had to step up after some of his most explosive teammates left the international stage and came into form with the bat in the fifth T20I against England in Bridgetown, pummelling 41 from 25 balls after a slow start. The Trinidadian has been dismissed just once in four innings so far in 2022 and will hope that trend continues through the India series.
Middle-order power-hitter Rovman Powell truly established himself on the international stage against England, becoming only the third West Indian male to score a T20I century. He destroyed the English attack in the third T20I, smashing 107 from 53 deliveries and struck a huge 10 sixes. He played a rapid knock in the final match as well, contributing 35 runs from 17 balls in a 74-run partnership with his skipper.
As just two of the many renowned power-hitters in the West Indies squad, India’s bowlers will have to nail their lines and lengths to avoid a beating.
Rovman Powell [Gareth Copley/Getty Images] and KL Rahul [Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images]
India’s pace attack will be hindered by the omission of Jasprit Bumrah, one of the world’s very best T20 seam bowlers. The rest of the attack will have to step up in his absence, though those who will likely play are in differing veins of form.
Indian T20 veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar had one of the best years of his career in T20I cricket in 2021, averaging 22.25, and taking 12 wickets in as many games. While consistent, he will surely want to imitate Bumrah and up his wickets tally in this series.
Mohammed Siraj has played just four T20Is in his career, and his average of just below 50 with the ball is less than favourable. And it may be hard to reduce his average against one of the most devasting batting sides in the world.
Jason Holder bowled the West Indies to victory in the England series, taking the most wickets ever in a bilateral T20I series, with 15. His four wickets in four balls to polish off the fifth match was only the fourth time such a feat had been achieved in men’s T20I cricket.
With an average of 9.6 with the ball in 2022, Holder is in scintillating form and will be a good match for India’s batters. Can he produce the goods away from home?
Sheldon Cottrell has taken 46 wickets in 39 T20I matches, a fairly impressive haul given he bowls predominantly in the powerplay.
However, his stats in the England series did leave a lot to be desired. Cottrell took just five wickets at an average of 34 and was much easier to get away than his regular opening partner Holder. West Indies will be keen to keep India under pressure in the powerplay, so Cottrell will have to bowl smartly during this series.
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India v West Indies ODI and T20I series 2022: All you need to know
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