India vs West Indies ODIs: Top performers

Tags: West Indies tour of India, 2014-15, India, West Indies, Marlon Nathaniel Samuels, Virat Kohli, Suresh Kumar Raina, Shami Ahmed, Jerome Everton Taylor

Published on: Oct 19, 2014

The India vs West Indies series, which had to be curtailed to three matches due to Windies’ pay dispute, saw some impressive performances from both sides, even as India won the series 2-1.

The India vs West Indies series, which had to be curtailed to three matches due to Windies’ pay dispute, saw some impressive performances from both sides, even as India won the series 2-1. Here’s a look at some impressive showing by the players.


Marlon Samuels: Without any doubt, Marlon Samuels was the standout batsman in the series with two hundreds from three games. He began the series with a sensational ton, and ended it with a spectacular one as well. The series was extremely significant for Samuels, and he ensured he made the chance count, with 254 runs from three innings at a splendid average of 127, bolstered by the 126 not out at Kochi. Samuels maintained a wonderful strike rate of 97.6 during the series, with 20 fours and 11 sixes.


Virat Kohli: On rather expected lines, Kohli roared back to form against the weak West Indies. Still, India would be happy that their best ODI player is back among the runs. Kohli had a failure in the opening game, when he was dismissed in the slips playing with an angled bat. However, Sunil Gavaskar’s suggestion of sending Kohli down the order worked wonders for the Indian bat. He made a half century in the second game, but it was in the final ODI at Dharamshala that he returned to his best. He made a sparkling 127 in the final one-dayer, finishing the series with 191 runs at an average of 63.6. Kohli maintained a strike rate of 97 with 18 fours and three sixes.


Suresh Raina: The Indian middle-order bat continued from where he left off in England. He registered half-centuries in two of the three matches, making 62 at Delhi and an impressive 71 at Dharamshala. Raina ended the series with 133 runs at an average of 44.3. Raina had a strike rate of 111, and smashed eight fours and seven sixes during the course of the tournament. His continued good form augurs well for India.


Mohammed Shami: The Indian pacer may have been thrashed in the final ODI, but during the course of the series, he was the highest wicket-taker. Shami finished the series with 10 wickets at an excellent average of 17.4, with two four-wicket hauls. In fact, he claimed four-fors in the first two matches of the tournament, with best figures of 4 for 36. Shami’s strike rate in the series was 16.6 and his economy rate was 6.2. But for his poor show in the final ODI, his figures would have been even better. Shami still needs to work on his consistency though especially when batsmen go after him.


Jerome Taylor: His stats weren’t stand out, but considering that he was making a comeback, the fast bowler’s effort was highly laudable. In three matches, he claimed five wickets at an average of 36 with a best of 3 for 54. Significantly, he troubled most Indian batsmen with his pace, and West Indies would be pleased with how be bowled in India.


--By A Cricket Analyst

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