West Indies vs India 2023

Test matches (2): West Indies 0 (4pts), India 1 (16pts)
One-day internationals (3): West Indies 1, India 2
Twenty20 internationals (5): West Indies 3, India 2

India's five-week trip around the Caribbean, which embraced all three formats and climaxed with two matches in the United States, ended with a sense of frustration as the West Indians belatedly showed signs of life against a team who had dominated their recent encounters. India were impeccable in the two Tests, earning a comfortable three-day victory in the opener, before rain allowed West Indies to escape with a draw. That meant India dropped points in their first series of the new World Test Championship cycle.

Their coach, Rahul Dravid, stressed the "bigger picture" going into the white-ball matches. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli - captains present and past - were rested after the first one-day international, as Dravid tried out young talent. There were some gains, but a 3-2 defeat in the T20s, after winning the ODIs 2-1, did not go down well with the Indian public or its demanding media.

The start of the tour followed recent history: West Indies had not won a Test against India since Jamaica in May 2002, losing 14 out of 23 in the meantime. Brittle batting continued to plague them, causing headaches for Andre Coley in his first assignment as head coach. Newcomer Alick Athanaze suggested the cupboard wasn't entirely bare, top-scoring twice with 47 and 28 on debut in his native Dominica, and adding 37 in Trinidad. But captain Kraigg Brathwaite's 75 in the Second Test was West Indies' sole half-century, while India reeled off three hundreds and seven other scores above 50.

The Mumbai starlet Yashasvi Jaiswal led the way with a stunning 171 on debut in Roseau on the way to a series-high 266 runs at 88, surprising no one who had followed his fledgling career: the leading run-scorer at the Under-19 World Cup in 2020, he had eye-catching first-class numbers, while a prolific IPL in 2023 confirmed him as a rare gem. But the old guard were not to be left out.

Rohit enjoyed Jaiswal's quality from close quarters, sharing stands of 229, 139 and 98 with his new opening partner, and helping himself to a century and two fifties. Kohli, meanwhile, eased past Virender Sehwag into fifth on India's run chart during his 76 in the First Test, before breaking a lengthy drought without an overseas century by producing a masterclass in Trinidad. Ravichandran Ashwin revelled in surprisingly spin-friendly conditions in Dominica, picking up his eighth ten-wicket haul, but first outside Asia.

In Trinidad, on a more benign pitch, Mohammed Siraj relished his role as pace spearhead in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah (recovering from back surgery), even though his five-for couldn't earn victory. Mukesh Kumar also attracted attention as a lion-hearted seamer; he made his debut in all three formats, and played in nine of the ten tour games. India's experimentation during the white-ball matches allowed West Indies some respite, and provided solace for coach Darren Sammy after the failure at the World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe.

There were still concerns - two heavy defeats sandwiched a spirited victory in the 50-over matches - but the close-fought T20 success was a timely boost, ten months out from a home World Cup. After being excused the ODIs, Nicholas Pooran and Jason Holder returned to play important all-round roles, while Romario Shepherd and Brandon King helped seal the series in Florida with career-bests.