India-West Indies, 2018: 5 Best players of the series

After series losses against South Africa and England, India bounced back in style when they demolished the Indies in a home Series consisting of two Test matches. The first Test match saw India get one of their biggest wins in Tests history beating West Indies by a mammoth margin of an innings and 272 runs.

The second Test saw the hosts clinch a comprehensive 10 wicket win, chasing 72 runs. This victory also marked the 10th consecutive home series win for India.

This series saw the teen prodigy Prithvi Shaw make his test debut and he did it in the perfect style. In the three innings that he played, he had scores of 134, 70 and 33 not out. He made an absolute mockery of the West Indies' bowling attack and made sure that they never dominated the proceedings. Some might argue that winning against West Indies is no big thing because of their recent decline in form as well as performance in international cricket.

It's true to an extent but this series has done a world of good to the Indian batsmen who were struggling with lack of form and confidence, right before the big Australian tour. It also highlighted the inconsistency of KL Rahul.

The selectors still have the opening combination issue to figure out. KL is likely to keep his place, considering the fact that he has been sent to play domestic cricket in order to prepare himself for Australia.

Indies showed some fight in the second test but they failed with the bat in the 2nd innings thus giving India the edge again. They can take something from this series and it is a learning curve for their relatively young team. As I said, this series was a highlight for a few players and so, let's have a look at the 5 best players of this series.

#5 Ravindra Jadeja

We witnessed the sword celebration again.

The explosive all-rounder has continued his recent form and made the Indies pay. Jadeja has been in scintillating form ever since he was picked for the 5th test against England. In the first Test, Jadeja got his maiden test hundred and picked up 4 wickets in the match. In the second Test, he couldn't score many but he did deliver with the ball, picking up 3 wickets in the match.

Should Jadeja continue his current form and India are going to have an easy path in Australia.

#4 Virat Kohli

Another day, another hundred for King Kohli.

No surprises here! Virat Kohli is arguably India's best batsman by far and is the backbone of this Indian line-up.

But the positive of this series was that the bulk of scoring that came from others and not Kohli. Kohli's captaincy and team selection was spot on this time around and one would hope that he carries the same into the Australian tour. In the two innings that witnessed Kohli batting, he scored a total of 139 and 45 respectively.

He was certainly missed during the recently concluded Asia Cup and will accompany the Men In Blue on their Australian tour.

#3 Roston Chase

He has bailed out the Windies from tough situations time and again. Roston Chase plays spin well and his 100 in the second Test bears testimony to that statement. Chase rotates the strike well and that's what allows him to spend more time at the crease.

A fifty in the first Test and a hundred in the second test shows that he is full of talent. With age still on his side, Windies need to groom him in order to turn him into a formidable force. What he does next remains to be seen.

#2 Rishabh Pant

Pant's attacking instincts have been impressive.

Filling in Wriddhiman Saha's place (who is out with an injury), Rishabh Pant has done a fantastic job so far. His wicket-keeping skills are improving with every game and it is here to stay. Pant's batting has been too good for India in the past few games.

His last three scores in Tests have been 114, 92 and 92 and that shows the type of impact he has had in the lower order. Consistency is something that he is working on at the moment and Pant's attacking instincts are paying dividends. Pant will only getter with each game.

#1 Prithvi Shaw

The teen prodigy lives up to his tagline in the first opportunity that he gets. How amazing is that? A 19-year-old scoring a century on debut can only mean one thing that is, a lot more is to come. In the three innings that Shaw played, he had scores of 134, 70 and 33 not out. What's impressive is that he played the majority of his shots with ease and commendable timing.

He was comfortable against the new ball and the bounce that it carried with it. He can prove to be the surprise element when India take on Australia, next month. Shaw deservingly won the man of the series award.

While Shaw resembles Sehwag in his approach, he does not get carried away with his shots and plays the ball on its merit. Shaw's only weakness is against the short ball.

There is no denial that Prithvi Shaw is the next big thing in International Cricket.