Ganga: Same old habits by naive WI

FORMER WEST Indies cricketer Daren Ganga has chided the maroon outfit for yet another dismal batting display following the 59-run (Duckworth-Lewis Method) One Day International defeat to India on Sunday at the Queen’s Park Oval, St Clair. The Windies restricted India to 279 runs for seven wickets and, in pursuit of a reduced target of 270 in 46 overs, they collapsed from 148 for three to 210 all out in 42 overs.

India lead the three-match series 1-0, with one match remaining, after the first game was rained out last Thursday in Guyana.

Evin Lewis made 65 from 80 while Nicholas Pooran cracked 42 off 52 but, just when the home side were gaining momentum and stood ahead of the run-rate, impetuous shots took these players, as well as the likes of Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer, back to the pavilion.

“I think it’s symptoms of the old West Indies team that we’ve come to know in ODI cricket -- getting starts, finding themselves in good positions and not being able to go all the way and secure a win,” Ganga said to ESPN, referencing the disappointing World Cup displays recently.

He added that with such a decent bowling performance amid a knock of 120 from India captain Virat Kohli, the batsmen should have brought the game home because the team got off to a great start.

“You must give the West Indians credit for the manner in which they bowled. Virat Kohli produced another masterclass with the bat and the West Indian bowlers were still able to contain the Indians in Powerplay 3. Having said that, I think the tone of the innings started well with Chris Gayle (11) at the top of the innings; for the first time we saw a partnership in the 40s (45 in under 10 overs) for that opening stand between Lewis and Gayle so things were looking up,” he added.

Hope (five) departed when the score was on 52, while Hetmyer (18) exited with the score at 92 before Lewis left at 148 to trigger the downfall. Roston Chase (18) and Jason Holder (13 not out) tried to repair the innings in the middle-order but with three ducks in the tail and Bhuvneshwar Kumar demolishing the Windies with four for 31, the end was inevitable.

“You always felt there would always be some sort of issue popping up because this West Indian side has always been very inconsistent,” Ganga said.

He believes the top five batsmen and their lack century-standing partnerships are hurting the side. He called them “young and inexperienced” in comparison to India, especially when factoring in Kohli scored his 42nd hundred while the Windies had a total of 40 in their entire line-up accumulated.

The ex-TT Red Force skipper maintained “the inability to seize critical moments in this game and more so, with the bat” will haunt the Caribbean outfit unless they mentally toughen up.