From Bowling Concerns To Naman Dhir's Emergence: Five Takeaways For India As West Indies T20I Series Concludes

The five-match T20I series between India and the West Indies ended in a 2–2 draw, with both teams sharing the trophy after a washed-out decider on Saturday in Bengaluru.

Fresh off a gold medal triumph at the Asian Games, the Shreyas Iyer-led Indian side entered the series as heavy favourites. However, the Shai Hope-led West Indies fought back resiliently after losing the preceding ODI series 1–2.

India won the opening match to take a 1–0 lead before the West Indies responded by chasing down a record total to level the series 1–1. India then edged the visitors by 14 runs in the third T20I to regain the lead, only for the West Indies to level the series once again in the fourth game.

India might have missed out on winning the series outright, but the four matches offered several key takeaways. Let's have a look at a few of them:

1. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson Remain First Priority

Indian fans are waiting to see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi bat in the iconic blue jersey. However, the series highlighted the team's priority to back the opening duo of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi did not play a single match.

"I just keep telling him [Vaibhav Sooryavanshi], you will get your opportunities. We have two fantastic openers who've been consistent throughout," said captain Shreyas Iyer when asked about Sooryavanshi after the fifth T20I.

Sanju Samson scored 168 runs at an average of 33.60, with a strike rate of 195.34, to end up as India's second-highest scorer in the series. Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma scored 145 runs across his outings.

2. India's Bowling Concerns

While India's batting was flying high in the series, bowling remains a major concern for the team. Bowlers conceded 200-plus totals in three of the four innings in which they bowled.

In the second T20I, India failed to defend 248 runs as the West Indies chased down the second-highest target in the format's history.

Indian bowlers took 23 wickets in the series while conceding 865 runs at an economy rate of 11.13 and an average of 37.6. Axar Patel was the most expensive Indian bowler, taking four wickets while leaking runs at an economy rate of 12.21. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who bowled just eight overs, was the only Indian bowler to maintain a sub-10 economy rate.

3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar Certainty In Playing XI

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was added to the squad for the final T20I and found his place in the playing XI right away. Making his comeback to the national side after four years, he has also been named in the squad for the upcoming New Zealand series.

It is now almost a certainty that Bhuvneshwar will be at the top of the pecking order in the pace attack. However, his record in New Zealand conditions remains an area to watch—he has played five matches in New Zealand, taking four wickets.

4. Naman Dhir's Emergence

Under Gautam Gambhir's leadership, India has backed multi-skilled players in the white-ball squad. One such player is Naman Dhir, who made his international debut during the West Indies series.

He finished as India's joint-highest wicket-taker in the series with five wickets. While his batting efforts didn't make much noise early on, he finished the series in style, scoring an unbeaten 24 off just 6 balls on Saturday.

5. Captain Shreyas Iyer Finds His Footing

Shreyas Iyer's era as India's captain started with disappointing series losses to Ireland and England on the UK tour. India bounced back after those defeats, winning series against Zimbabwe and Afghanistan. India also won a gold medal at the Asian Games under Shreyas' leadership.

However, his form remained under scrutiny as he was unable to replicate the touch he showed with Punjab Kings. He scored 409 runs in 16 matches before the West Indies series, where his strike rate of 136.78 was far from impressive.

He turned the tide in the West Indies series, however, scoring 181 runs in five outings, including a century. He finished as the highest run-scorer for India in the series. His average surged to 45.25, and his strike rate crossed 200. Safe to say, the skipper is rapidly finding his footing with the bat.