West Indies v India, 2016

	The Indian players looked a happy bunch after winning the series 2-0 © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Match reports : West Indies v India, 2016 Series/Tournaments: India tour of West Indies and United States of America Teams: India | West Indies

Test matches (4): West Indies 0, India 2 Twenty20 internationals (2): West Indies 1, India 0
India managed two Test wins in the West Indies for the first time - but so low have local expectations sunk that this was hardly a surprise. Indeed, probably only the weather saved the hosts from a worse beating.On previous visits, India had often struggled on fast, bouncy pitches, and won only five of their 45 Tests. But the days of West Indies perming four ferocious fast bowlers from six or seven have long gone - although youngsters Alzarri Joseph and Miguel Cummins looked promising.

The surfaces, though,are slower and lower than in the heyday of Malcolm Marshall and Co, while the home batsmen are not disciplined enough to compete in the five-day format. To compound matters, West Indies again had to do without several star one-day performers, on duty for English counties in the T20 Blast.This Indian team had long been touchy on the subject of pitches,with critics cavilling that tracks at home were tailored for their spinners. Ever since being installed as captain, Virat Kohli had stressed the need to perform outside India too, setting the ball rolling with a 2-1 win in Sri Lanka late in 2015.

In truth, India were stretched on only one of the 13 days' Test cricket on this tour, when West Indies surrendered just two wickets on the final day of the Second Test in Jamaica to escape with a draw. They were led by a feisty century from Barbadian Roston Chase, who had made his debut in the previous match. In Jamaica, he also claimed a five-for with his off-spin, a rare double. But that was the only time West Indies passed 250 in six attempts. Jason Holder had tried his best since assuming the leadership, but was still too raw a player - and too defensive and unimaginative a captain - to lift an inexperienced bunch. He was not helped by selectorial confusion: seam-bowling all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite, who had hit fifties in his first two Tests, played only once in this series, was sent in at No. 9... and made another half-century.

It was hardly a surprise when coach Phil Simmons, no great admirer of the WICB,was relieved of his duties shortly after the series, with the board citing"differences in culture and strategic approach". In contrast, Kohli was ultra-aggressive, and led from the front in the First Test in Antigua with an authoritative double-century, the first by an Indian captain overseas. After that, the other batsmen followed his example. K. L. Rahul's 158 in Jamaica was his third century in just six Tests (he made another in the first Twenty20 international).

Ravichandran Ashwin, pushed up to No. 6, added two hundreds, while wicketkeeper Wriddhaman Saha cemented his place with a maiden ton in St Lucia, where his stand of 213 with Ashwin rescued India from 126 for five. India never had to wait too long for a collapse. They were patient when required, and Kohli had all bases covered: pace, bounce, swing - conventional and reverse - and three types of spin. Ashwin's rise continued apace, as he took 17 wickets with his varied off-breaks.It wasn't all good news. The Indians were far from happy in the final Test,in Trinidad, where inadequate covers and poor drainage - not to mention the ridiculous absence of a Super Sopper - meant no play was possible after a truncated first day. A 3-0 win would have kept them at No. 1 in the ICC Test rankings, but 2-0 gave Pakistan a chance to nip ahead.The tour finished with the latest attempt to wake cricket's supposed sleeping giant, the American audience. Two Twenty20 internationals were played in Florida, and the first provided a feast of runs - 489 (easily a record for the format), with M. S. Dhoni's Indian side falling just a couple short of a huge target of 246 after a brutal hundred from West Indies' latest find, Evin Lewis.But the second match was an embarrassment,and must have mystified any watching locals. The start was delayed by 40 minutes as the broadcasters struggled with the satellite connection, which meant that when a thunder storm hit - showing up some more inadequate covering - there had not been enough overs to constitute a match.

Match reports for

Tour Match: West Indies Cricket Board President's XI v Indians at Basseterre, Jul 9-10, 2016
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Tour Match: West Indies Cricket Board President's XI v Indians at Basseterre, Jul 14-16, 2016
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1st Test: West Indies v India at North Sound, Jul 21-24, 2016
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2nd Test: West Indies v India at Kingston, Jul 30-Aug 3, 2016
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3rd Test: West Indies v India at Gros Islet, Aug 9-13, 2016
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4th Test: West Indies v India at Port of Spain, Aug 18-22, 2016
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1st T20I: India v West Indies at Lauderhill, Aug 27, 2016
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2nd T20I: India v West Indies at Lauderhill, Aug 28, 2016
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