Problem and promise: 3 talking points after India clinched the ODI series against West Indies

West Indies were no pushovers and ran India close in all the three matches and in this article, we take a look at the three talking points in the series and what Indian cricket learned.

Virat Kohli looked to be in control, as is the norm during any Indian chase, but then, a lapse in concentration saw him lose his wicket and then the chase could well have become tricky. However, Shardul Thakur came out, creamed 17 off 6 balls and Jadeja held his calm as India cantered over the line.

India clinched the series 2-1 (PTI)

India, in the process, ended 2019 on a high and claimed the series 2-1. West Indies were no pushovers and ran India close in all the three matches and in this article, we take a look at the three talking points in the series and what Indian cricket learned.

Problem in the death

It has been a problem with Indian cricket, but then Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar came around and this found a solution. However, in this series both Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah were not in this series and hence, the problem came back to bother Virat Kohli. There were young bowlers and they showed promise, but they were not quite up to the mark when the pressure was amped in the death overs.

Iyer is the solution

Perhaps for the first time for over a 15 months, Indian cricket can breathe in peace as Shreyas Iyer stepped up and gave a great account of his promise and pedigree. He now needs to be consistent and Indian cricket needs to give him a long rope and he can well, be a long term prospect.

Kuldeep-Chahal no longer together

The combination of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav conceded 160 runs in 20 overs for just one wicket in their loss to England at Edgbaston and ever since, they have not played together in an ODI match. Kohli has shown faith in Ravindra Jadeja owing to his batting and fielding and this has yielded dividends in few games.

However, going ahead, will Kohli go back to Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav when India travels overseas? India struggled to pick wickets in the middle overs in this series and hence, using the wrist spinners as an attacking option makes a lot of sense.