The West Indies did well to keep India true to themselves in the first of three matches of the five-match ODI series. But the Indian juggernaut rolled over the visitors in the last two matches to register yet another series win at home.
The big wins at Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram justified the 3-1 verdict, but it was a testing series for the second-ranked side in the run-up to the next year's World Cup.
Here we picked five talking points from India's perspective from the ODI series:
King Kohli
India captain Virat Kohli is already one of the greats of the game, that's what Sachin Tendulkar endorsed on the day India were wrapping up the series in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. It seemed, the Master Blaster was late for the occasion.
Kohli is having one of the best years of his brilliant career. Probably the best batsman in the format, the Indian captain started the series with three successive hundreds – 140 at Guwahati, unbeaten 157 at Visakhapatnam, 107 at Pune. In a rare miss, he scored 16 runs in the Mumbai match, then finished the series with an unbeaten 33 for a series aggregate of 453 runs.
It helped him consolidated his position as the top-ranked batsman in the latest ICC rankings. In the process, the 29-year-old became the fastest player to reach the 10000-run mark in ODIs. It was one of the many records he achieved during the series.
For the record, the right-handed batsman has scored 1202 runs at an average of 133.54 in 14 innings this year. His scoring sequence: 112, 46 not out, 160 not out, 75, 36, 129 not out, 75, 45, 71, 140, 157 not out, 107, 16, 33 not out.
Perfect Deputy
Meanwhile, his deputy Rohit Sharma has been playing the role of a deputy to perfection. After helping India defend the Asia Cup title in the absence of Kohli, Rohit scored two daddy hundreds – 152 not out in the series opener and 162 at Mumbai. He aggregated 389 runs, second only to Kohli's 453.
Rohit was involved in three of the five top partnerships in the series. With his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan failing to turn up, his consistency was the key to India thwarting Windies threat. Also, considering the fact that India were struggling to find solutions to middle-order wobbles, his consistent good starts all the more important.
In the first match, he and Kohli stitched a record 246-run stand for the second-wicket. He was involved in another 200+ stand, with Ambati Rayudu at Mumbai which helped India wrest back the initiative after the defeat in Pune. Rohit and Kohli then produced an unbeaten 99-run stand in the series finale to ensure a safe passage for India.
Rayudu Solution
Finally, India seemed to have found the solution to the number four worries in Ambati Rayudu. In the past, Indian management had tried and groomed some of the most gifted players like Manish Pandey, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Dinesh Karthik for the so-called 'crisis man' role, but only to face disappointment.
Now, Rayudu seemed to have solved the long-standing problem. And both the captain and vice-captain believe the 33-year-old is the perfect fit for the number four. Kohli identified Rayudu as one of the major gains from the series and promised to back him till the World Cup. The skipper's statement only accentuated Rohit's 'hope' that Rayudu has solved all the mysteries of No 4.
In the series, Rayudu scored 217 runs including a hundred. He is one of the few players around with an ODI average of more than 50. The 45-ODI old player, with his versatility, is likely to be one of the mainstays in the star-studded Indian batting line-up.
Dhoni Cunnundrum
That star-studded Indian batting line-up, however, has one nagging problem, in Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The Windies series proved yet another lost opportunity for the former India captain. Dhoni is still possibly the greatest finisher in the game, but he now fights to stay relevant as India continue to search for a perfect combination.
Despite the presence of his heir apparent Rishabh Pant, the 37-year-old played all five matches, scoring 20, 7 and 23 in three chances he got to bat. That's the confidence the Indian team management has over their legendary wicketkeeper, and the skipper claimed that his predecessor is "still a very integral part" of the team.
With the Indian top-order firing, India's middle-order has not been tested as one would like.
The last time Dhoni hit a half-century was last December against Sri Lanka at Dharamsala. Since then he has batted 14 times in 22 matches, with the highest score of 42. His inability to finish games off, as he used to do, has put the Indian camp in a tight spot. But with the big World Cup months away, the Dhoni conundrum will only make things more complicated for India.
He is out of the T20I squads for the West Indies series and Australia tour.
Rebirth Of An All-Rounder
In the midst, India have however witnessed the rebirth of all all-rounder in Ravindra Jadeja for India. Backed from the wilderness, the 'sword-wielding' player from Jamnagar has impressed everyone with his all-round contribution. Jadeja, who made a triumphant return to the national side midway through the Asia Cup in September, is making all the right noises in his bid to earn a permanent place in the team.
He featured in four of the five matches, claiming seven wickets. His performance with the ball since the comeback has been brilliant. He in fact managed to sidelined Yuzvendra Chahal, who is arguably one of the best in the limited overs format. He batted twice, scoring 13 at Vizag and seven not out in Mumbai. That's nothing big, but the balance he brought into the side is of paramount importance. And the skipper acknowledged, saying Jadeja "has been smart about what he wants to do with the field. As a fielder, there have been no questions about his ability. With the bat and ball, he has matured a lot now and brings balance to any side."
With the imminent return of Hardik Pandya, Jadeja will find it hard to keep his place as the all-rounder in the playing XI. But he sure will hope to replace one of the spinners.
India's next ODI engagements will be in Australia.
