India’s legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar was left unimpressed by West Indies’ current pace attack and their approach in the opening Test of the series against India in Ahmedabad. The timid approach from West Indies pacers barring Jayden Seales made Gavaskar compare the pace attack to net bowlers, not of international standards. Gavaskar wondered why the Caribbean pacers a long time to bowl their first bouncer of the innings, letting the Indian openers settle in the middle. He said that the Indian bowlers were stepping down to the visiting pacers as if they are spinners.
“To see their new-ball attack in the first Test in Ahmedabad was a shock to those who have grown up seeing the ball whistle past the batters’ noses at least two or three times in an over. In Ahmedabad, apart from Jayden Seales, the other two were simply trundlers, who looked more like net bowlers than international ones,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
“No disrespect intended to them, but to see the first bouncer being bowled after half a dozen overs had been bowled made one ask, ‘Is this really the West Indies pace attack?’ Yes, bowling bouncers is a big effort, and on a hot day, it can take a lot out of a bowler, but it is a surprise weapon to stop the batter from moving on to the front foot regularly. India’s batters were not only on the front foot every ball but were also disdainfully walking down the pitch to the so-called quicks as if they were spinners. As said earlier, Test matches are a lot of hard work with not much reward, so why give it the extra effort?” he asked.
Only one wicket for West Indies pacer
In the absence of an injured Shamar Joseph, young Johann Layne shared the new ball with Seales. Layne remained wicketless. Fast-bowling all-rounder Justin Greaves lacked the intimidating factor as well. While Indian pacers got wickets, West Indies' premier pacer was only able to break the opening partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal's wicket.
Gavaskar on West Indies batters’ lack of fight
Gavaskar is unhappy with sorry stage of affairs in the West Indies' camp following their defeat by an innings and 140 runs. He slammed Caribbean batters’ little effort to dig in their heels, barring Alick Athanaze and Greaves. He feels that they would have faced more problems had they faced the duo of recently retired Ravichandran Ashwin along with Ravindra Jadeja.
“Even in the batting, there was little effort to buckle down and fight it out. Only Justin Greaves, to some extent in both innings, and Alick Athanaze in the second, looked like they wanted to grit it out. And it wasn’t even a pitch like last year, where the ball turned from day one. There was some turn on day three, but nowhere near as threatening as when Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja made laughing stocks of some of the best batters in the game,” the 76-year-old opined.
The Roston Chase-led side will have a point to prove when they take on India in the second Test of the series at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, commencing on October 10.