Rayudu, Khaleel, Jadeja, Dhawan and Dhoni: Five takeaways from the India-West Indies ODI series

After all three possible results in a cricket match came about in the first three games of the five-match ODI series between India and West Indies, the last two matches reiterated just how vast the gulf is between the two sides.

With two thumping wins in Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram, India wrapped up their sixth consecutive bilateral ODI series win at home.

Without further delay, here are the main takeaways from the series for India.

(And no, Virat Kohli being good at cricket is not one of the points we will elaborate on. It’s become inevitable, almost.)

Rayudu grabs his chances

Not called upon in the final ODI in Thiruvananthapuram.

Virtually unused in the first match in Guwahati (despite Kohli trying to put a positive spin on his 22 not out).

Missed an opportunity to anchor the chase in the third ODI in Pune.

But in Vizag and Mumbai, he stitched together valuable partnerships four the third wicket with his captain and vice-captain to help ease the tension in that Indian dressing room regarding the No 4 conundrum.

Take a look at the table below to see how convoluted India’s search has been for that spot since the 2015 World Cup.

Now, now. Rayudu is not the definitive answer but has the beginnings of a worthwhile one. One failure out of the four chances that came his away is a good return for the 33-year-old who is enjoying the backing of his captain. Enough has been written about Rayudu here, but for now, India have found a round-shaped peg to fit a round-shaped hole in that middle order.

Fast bowling department

Before the Asia Cup – India’s unofficial countdown to the World Cup – began, all the focus was on the middle order and its merry-go-round, but the selectors had also gone on record saying the fast bowling department is one of the areas where there are slot(s) available on that plane to United Kingdom.

And after a successful Asia Cup campaign, followed by the five matches against West Indies, how close is the Indian think-tank to finding a solution?

For starters, Bhuvneshwar Kumar seems to have hit a bit of a rough patch, after his start-stop return from a back injury. He’s blown hot and cold, especially in the death overs. In the third ODI in Pune, his 21-run 49th over proved to be one of the turning points in the defeat for India.

“We know the white ball does not swing much, but that does not mean Bhuvneshwar should become a “hit the deck” bowler, delivering short of length most of the time,” Sanjay Manjrekar observed in his column for ESPNCricinfo. “In his recent comeback matches against West Indies, that’s what he did.”

With Jasprit Bumrah nailing his place down as the best not just in this Indian attack, but among fast bowlers in the world right now, the supporting act looks wobbly. Shardul Thakur has broken down with an injury, Mohammad Siraj and Siddharth Kaul have proved to be expensive. Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav have offered reminders why they were not successful in the shorter formats in the first two matches of this series, when given a chance to audition.

And, by virtue of being a variation in that line-up, Khaleel Ahmed’s stock has risen.

Overall, however, India’s fast-bowling attack in the 50-over format still looks incomplete, and a swift return to consistency for Bhuvneshwar is a must for Kohli.

“Two things that come straight to mind is the way Rayudu played and the way Khaleel bowled. Those two things is something that we were looking for a while; someone to back-up Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar)and Bumrah – someone to pick up wickets and bowl in good areas. Having a left-arm seamer gives you variation in the attack. Khaleel was really good and Rayudu of course grabbing his opportunities, batting with maturity, batting with composure. It is always good to plug in the areas that you are looking at.”    

— Virat Kohli

A trend in Dhawan’s troubles

Shikhar Dhawan doesn’t show too many emotions on the cricket field other than a wide smile. A good catch? Smile. A dropped catch? Smile. A milestone with the bat? Smile. Get dismissed when well-set and see the bowler imitate his thigh-five celebration? Smile.

That is what happened at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai when, looking in imperious form, Dhawan pulled a short ball straight to midwicket and threw away a good start. Keemo Paul celebrated a crucial wicket enthusiastically and Dhawan walked away with an endearing smile.

But there is a trend beginning to form there that Dhawan would do well to address.

As indicated by table below, among those batsmen who have crossed 30-plus at least 10 times in 2018, Dhawan’s conversion to 50-plus is the second worst. In other words, in the 14 innings that he has made 30 or more in 2018, Dhawan has gone on to score a 50 or more only five times.

His opening partner is at the other end of that spectrum. Rohit Sharma doesn’t appear in the table above because has nine scores of 30-plus in 2018 and if that were the criteria, he tops the conversion percentage list – going on to make a 50-plus score 88.9% of the time, with five centuries.

In fact, without the 10-innings criteria for those who have scored 30-plus in an ODI innings in 2018, Dhawan’s 35.7% conversion is the second worst among the top 50 in that list.

Like he did in Asia Cup, Dhawan has shown in the past that he is a different batsman in a multi-nation white-ball tournament. This is no reason for alarm as such, but the tendency to lose his wicket after a good start is more than just a blip now and Dhawan would do well to address it with more than just a smile.

Jadeja’s return to action

Ahead of the Asia Cup, The Field published a World Cup 2019 ladder for India – placing potential candidates for the final 15-member squad in a pecking order as a guesstimate. Guess where Ravindra Jadeja figured? At No 29. There were no indications to consider him a possibility because Axar Patel was constantly preferred over him in the senior squad and Krunal Pandya made it to the A squad as the back-up. But 15 months after his white-ball cricket hit a roadblock, Jadeja got a call back during the Asia Cup and since then has won two man-of-the-match awards for two four-wicket hauls.

How quickly things change in cricket.

Despite his admirable return to 50-over cricket, though, Jadeja’s comeback must be handled with a cautionary note. During these matches since the Asia Cup return against Bangladesh, Jadeja has still shown tendencies of the past that led to his exclusion from white-ball cricket in the first place. A predictable line and length at predictable pace was his undoing during the Champions Trophy, for instance. Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope exploited that early on in this series.

So much so that he was left out of the third ODI when Kohli wanted to play five bowlers.

But Jadeja quickly found his way back to the XI because of the balance he provides as an all-rounder, displacing Yuzvendra Chahal. Does this mean he’s nailed on for a World Cup berth?

Kohli was guarded in his response after the series win.

“It depends. When Hardik (Pandya) is fit and fine to play, you have to see what is the combination you have to take in the World Cup. If Hardik is fit, Kedar becomes a spin option as well. Hardik becoming fit also gives you four seaming options, along with Kedar and one more spinner. You might need one more spin option. Jadeja becomes the key there with the team balance.”    

— Virat Kohi

Jadeja has not done his case too much arm, but it is early days to say he is a certainty in the World Cup squad.

Dhoni and his impending break

So, now what? Dhoni’s break from international cricket begins from November 2, 2018, as India’s next ODI assignment isn’t until January 12, 2019. After being left out of the T20I squads for the West Indies and Australia series – which doesn’t mean anything else other than him being left out those squads, if India’s chief selector is to be believed – Dhoni now steps away from the limelight.

As written on The Field earlier, he missed a golden opportunity in Pune to find form and prove his worth in the middle order for India. And such opportunities to prove himself are going to be few and far between till the World Cup, with him not playing any other international cricket. The situation in Pune was one where, in the not too distant past, you’d bet on Dhoni taking the chase deep and help India cross the finish line. But that didn’t happen. Neither did it during the Asia Cup final. Neither did it in England.

And now he faces a period where he is not going to play any competitive cricket (as things stand) and that is only going to make the next comeback tougher. He has shown repeatedly that his skills as a wicket-keeper are not on the wane – for a 37-year-old, his hand-eye coordination behind the stumps only seems to be his improving. In that, lies hope. That, physically, Dhoni is still a beast. But how does he keep himself match-ready? Can he prove to be an asset in the middle order and not a liability? Those questions will likely return in January again, but for now, Indian fans will have to make to do with an unsavoury mix of uncertainty and hope.