The West Indies’ destiny is in their own hands, as all-rounder Romario Shepherd rightly said after the nine-wicket thrashing against South Africa in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
If the Shai Hope-led team is able to get past India at the Eden on Sunday, their place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals will be confirmed. But to beat the hosts, who have brought their campaign back on track with a comprehensive win over Zimbabwe in Chennai, the Windies will have to iron out the flaws in their game.
More than batting, it’s their bowling which India would look to cash in on. To add some sharpness in their bowling, former captain Carl Hooper believes the two-time champions must bring left-arm orthodox Akeal Hosein back in the XI.
The presence of two left-handed batters (Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan) in India’s top three may still keep off-spinner all-rounder Roston Chase in the equation. But according to Hooper, Akeal’s accuracy and ability to strike with the new ball will be vital for the side.
“I don’t understand why Akeal, who has also been the No.1-ranked T20I bowler, wasn’t included against South Africa. The idea to play Chase was to have an off-spinner to counter Quinton de Kock
and the No.3 (Ryan Rickelton). But I really hate these match-ups,” Hooper, who lives in Adelaide now, told The Telegraph on Friday.
“In Akeal, you have a bowler who’s accurate, can bowl in the Powerplay with success. So, why would you not have him in the team?” the former off-spinner all-rounder, who played 102 Tests and 227 ODIs, pointed out.
Assuming Akeal will be back in the XI against India, Hooper wants him and Gudakesh Motie to be “bold”. “All they need to do is trust their skills, focus on the basics and be bold,” Hooper stressed.
“In our times, even a Navjot Singh Sidhu could take down a rival spin attack. But that’s no longer the case with the current Indian team. So, they (WI spinners) need to mix it up with a fair bit of flight and firing it in flat.”
South Africa openers Aiden Markram and De Kock have shown the weakness in the Windies’ seam department, which looked quite mediocre on the red-soil track in Ahmedabad. India’s stroke-makers, particularly the top order, may also
take advantage of it. However, with the Eden pitch set to
have a little bit of grass, bringing pacer Shamar Joseph early on wouldn’t be a bad idea, Hooper believes.
To talk of the Windies’ batting, over-dependence on boundaries and maximums is something they need to address going into Sunday’s must-win clash. “Hitting a six or a four and following it up with a single is the way to go, something which South Africa did. Taking 15 in one over and then only four in the next doesn’t help.
“But yeah, the batters shouldn’t go into a shell or shift from their natural game against the Indian attack,” Hooper said.
