According to Aakash Chopra, the West Indies’ batting collapse in the first Test against India is not at all surprising.
On Day 1 of the match at Roseau on Wednesday, July 12, Kraigg Brathwaite and company chose to bat first and were eventually dismissed for 150. With Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma both still standing after their first innings, the visitors finished the day with 80 for no loss.
When Chopra was questioned about the West Indies’ batting at a JioCinema discussion, he responded:
Since they chose to bat first and there was wetness on the pitch, it felt like three to four wickets would fall in the first session, and finally four did, so I myself am not shocked at all. Please understand that I mean no offence. Additionally, it appeared that we might be able to watch India bat today.
The previous Indian opening continued:
There is no denying that West Indies cricket has declined in quality, therefore I am not shocked by this. The opposing squad has been in transition for the past ten years and has just returned from two straight WTC finals.
Since May 2002, the West Indies have lost all of their Test matches against India. In the previous 23 Tests between the two teams, they have lost 14 of them.
Should there be tiers in Test cricket? – Aakash Chopra on the huge gap between India and the West Indies
Aakash Chopra Between India and the West Indies, there is a wide gap. Another issue that comes out of this is that although stories about the World Test Championship are great to hear, should there be Tier 1 and Tier 2 for Test cricket match?
Chopra continued that it is hard to evaluate individual efforts in such unfair competitions:
If there is a significant gap between the two teams, it is not entertaining to watch the game. You are unable to accurately assess the performances’ worth when you see them.
The West Indies have had a terrible run in the previous several years across all formats. Even though they were previously seen of as being strong in limited-overs cricket, they failed to advance past the group stage of the most recent T20 World Cup and have not been selected for the forthcoming ODI World Cup either.
Read Also – Who is Lucas Giolito Wife?