IND vs WI 2nd Test: Weather washes out final day as India drop WTC points against West Indies | Cricket News

In some ways, not getting a result in Port of Spain was more disappointing for India than the hosts. Having been blown away an innings in three days in Dominica, taking the game to the fifth day was an improvement of sorts for the West Indies.A draw, even if weather-assed, will be deemed a success. And the long delay at the start of the fifth day ended whatever faint or theoretical chance there was of the hosts going for the victory target of 365.For India, this series was to be a launch pad for another World Test Championship (WTC) cycle after making the first two finals. Anything less than a 2-0 triumph feels like vital points dropped. There are assignments against South Africa, England and Australia lined up this term – on paper much tougher than the Caribbean sojourn – so it was imperative that they made a clean sweep against a side that didn’t quite have the tools to compete against them for extended periods of time.

The rain plays spoilsport as the Play is Called Off on Day 5 in the second #WIvIND Test! #TeamIndia win the series 1-0! 👏 👏 pic.twitter.com/VKevmxetgF
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 24, 2023
So, if there was one team praying more fervently for play to get under way on Monday, it was India. The prospect of 67 overs after the match was scheduled to start after lunchtime, seemed overly optimic, but Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are well capable of running through a batting line-up as fragile as the West Indies on a fifth-day pitch in a much shorter time. Hence, they would have been left frustrated when just before the game was scheduled to start after a long delay, the rain returned to further dent their chances. This scenario played out repeatedly till the umpires had no option but to pull the plug at 2.50 pm local time.
With the series in the record books, an analysis of what happened in Trinidad and what pointers the two games provide looking ahead is in order.
Taking the parallels with the fourth Ashes Test in Manchester forward, the weather forecast is known to both teams much in advance, and they devise their strategies and approach factoring it in. This is what prompted Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal to press the accelerator from the outset of their second innings. That is what made Mohammed Siraj’s burst at the start of Day 4 all the more significant, as it gave India more time to force a result.
On the other hand, everything the West Indies did from the start of the game was intended to take time out of the game. They took almost 116 overs to score 255 runs on a pitch that held no demons, and when the Indian openers started going hell for leather on Sunday, skipper Kraigg Brathwaite didn’t call upon his best bowler on show, Jomel Warrican as the faster bowlers took longer to complete their overs, meaning the hosts would have to bat for a shorter period once the inevitable declaration came.

यशस्वी भवः 💯..#INDvWIonFanCode #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/59Uq9ik1If
— FanCode (@FanCode) July 13, 2023
Takeaways
So, weather was almost as big of an obstacle for the Indians to force a result as the stickability of the Caribbean batsmen.
But apart from the series result, what can the Indians take home from the two Tests?

RP ka bat. RP jaisi batting!Ishan Kishan 🤝 Rishabh Pant..#INDvWIonFanCode #WIvsIND pic.twitter.com/Ez8fds5CK1
— FanCode (@FanCode) July 24, 2023
For one, Yashasvi Jaiswal has got the temperament and aptitude for Test cricket. The left-handed opener will face much stronger and more versatile bowling attacks as his career unfolds, but he has shown the hunger and adaptability to succeed at his level.
That Virat Kohli’s appetite for runs hasn’t diminished. He struggled to 76 – if that’s indeed possible – in Dominica but was much more fluent while scoring his first hundred outside India in five years. He may not be the batsman he was in his pomp, but he can still make a lot of runs using his nous and experience.

Ending a 5-year wait in his 500th Int’l Game with a 💯
Just @imVkohli things!.#INDvWIonFanCode #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/5j5td33iO2
— FanCode (@FanCode) July 21, 2023
Comeback man Ajinkya Rahane was the best Indian batsman in the WTC final against Australia, but his returns in the Caribbean are three and eight, which may not be good enough to keep the other suitors for his spot at bay.
Ishan Kishan, or any other wicketkeeper for that matter, is only expected to keep the seat warm for Rishabh Pant. He has been decent behind the stumps and brings much-needed aggression with the bat. The left-hander may have forged ahead of KS Bharat, as second-choice after Pant, for good.
There is no justification for leaving out Ashwin in away Tests. His prowess and class is not conditions-dependent. If Jadeja provides a more tempting all-round package, it would be better to leave out someone like Shardul Thakur or any other pacer to accommodate the master off-spinner in the playing XI.

Just reminding you all of this match too, where Siraj has taken a 5-fer. 👏
India lead 183 going into the 2nd innings! #INDvWIonFanCode #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/xNk2ZAdWrV
— FanCode (@FanCode) July 23, 2023
Siraj is fast emerging from the shadows of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, and becoming a proven performer in his own right. He led the pace attack admirably in Trinidad, and showed that he can get rid of the tail in quick time, an important quality in any pace bowler.
With the disparity in talent pool – Alick Athanaze has shown a lot of promise, but his top score in the series has been 47, whereas Jaiswal hit 171 in his debut innings – India were big favourites coming into the series, also considering that the West Indies have even struggled to draw a Test in this bilateral match-up for the last decade. This series was useful to blood in some youngsters and see whether some of the veterans had become dead wood. Towards that end, it has provided some vital clues to the selectors.