India in West Indies: The Test cricket story in numbers

Historically, West Indies have been very strong at home but this time around both the teams have included many new faces in their side for the upcoming Test series. India will play their first Test series of this year while West Indies have only played one Test in 2016. So it will be a very good opportunity for both the sides to win their first ever Test series in 2016.

India have played two warm-up matches after coming to Caribbean and had a great time to acclimatise in West Indies conditions before the Test series begins. Most of the Indian batsmen as well as the spinners played well in the warm-up matches. However, Indian pacers did not pick as many as wickets, and thus it will be intriguing to see the combination India go in with in the first match.

The forthcoming series – the 22nd between the two sides and the 11th to be played in West Indies – beginning in Antigua on July 21 will decide which side is stronger, both on and off the field.

Here’s a statistical look at how the sides have played against each other in Test matches since 1948.

Head to head match results:

Venue	Matches	India	West Indies	Drawn	Span
In West Indies	45	5	16	24	1953-2011
In India	45	11	14	20	1948-2013
Total	90	16	30	44	1948-2013

In West Indies, India have won only five Test matches and they have won three after 2000. However, India have a better record at home against West Indies as compared to that in the West Indies.

Head to head series results:

Venue	No. of series	India	West Indies	Drawn	Span
In West Indies	10	3	7	0	1953-2011
In India	11	4	5	2	1948-2013
Total	21	7	12	2	1948-2013

India had won only one Test series in West Indies till 2004, but since then they have won two Test series in West Indies. Overall, West Indies have won 12 Test series against India while India have won seven Test series against West Indies.

Series by series results: (In West Indies)

Winner	Season	Tests	India	West Indies	Drawn
West Indies	1952-53	5	0	1	4
West Indies	1961-62	5	0	5	0
India	1970-71	5	1	0	4
West Indies	1975-76	4	1	2	1
West Indies	1982-83	5	0	2	3
West Indies	1988-89	4	0	3	1
West Indies	1996-97	5	0	1	4
West Indies	2001-02	5	1	2	2
India	2005-06	4	1	0	3
India	2010-11	3	1	0	2

West Indies have won more Tests against India at home, but they have not beaten India in a Test match or in a series in the last 14 years. It will be interesting to see whether West Indies will end this streak in this upcoming Test series or not by winning a Test match or not.

Highest team totals:

For India: 644/7d at Kanpur, 1978-79

For West Indies: 644/8 at Delhi, 1958-59

Lowest team totals:

For India: 75 at Delhi, 1987-88

For West Indies: 103 at Kingston, 2006

Highest individual scores:

For India: 236* by Sunil Gavaskar at Chennai, 1983-84

For West Indies: 256 by Rohan Kanhai at Kolkata, 1958-59

Total centuries:(182)

For India: 81

For West Indies: 101

Most individual hundreds:

For India: 13 by Sunil Gavaskar in 27 Tests (7 hundreds in West Indies)

For West Indies: 8 by Gary Sobers from 18 Tests and 8 by Viv Richards in 28 Tests (Both 5 hundreds in West Indies)

Leading run-scorers:

For India: 2749 runs by Sunil Gavaskar in 27 Tests

For West Indies: 2344 runs by Clive Lloyd in 28 Tests

Most runs in a series:

For India: 774 by Sunil Gavaskar in 1970-71

For West Indies: 779 by Everton Weekes in 1948-49

Leading wicket-takers:

For India: 89 wickets by Kapil Dev in 25 Tests

For West Indies: 76 wickets by Malcolm Marshall in 17 Tests

Best bowling figures in an innings:

For India: 9/83 by Kapil Dev at Ahmedabad,1983-84

For West Indies: 9/85 by Jack Noreiga at Port-of-Spain in 1970-71

Best bowling figures in a match:

For India: 16/136 by Narendra Hirwani at Chennai, 1987/88

For West Indies: 12/121 by Andy Roberts at Chennai, 1974/75

Most wickets in a series:

For India: 29 wickets by Kapil Dev in 1983-84

For West Indies: 33 wickets by Malcolm Marshall in 1983-84

Highest partnership in an innings:

For India: 344* between Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar for 2nd wicket at Kolkata, 1978-79

For West Indies: 296 between Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes for 1st wicket at St. John’s, 1982-83

Leading wicket-keepers:

For India: 48 dismissals by MS Dhoni in 12 Tests

For West Indies: 60 dismissals by Jeff Dujon in 19 Tests

Leading fielders:

For India: 26 catches by Rahul Dravid in 23 Tests

For West Indies: 39 catches by Viv Richards in 28 Tests

Happy hunting grounds for India in West Indies:

Ground name	Matches	Won	Lost	Drawn	Win(%)
Queen’s Park Oval	12	3	3	6	25.00
Sabina Park	11	2	6	3	18.18
Antigua Recreation Ground	4	0	0	4	00.00
Bourda	6	0	0	6	00.00
Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium	1	0	0	1	00.00
Kensington Oval	9	0	7	2	00.00
Warner Park	1	0	0	1	00.00
Windsor Park	1	0	0	1	00.00

One thing that can work in West Indies’s favour though is that India will play their first three Tests in those ground where they do not have a good record while India will play their fourth Test at the Queen’s Park Oval where India have won three Test matches. Among all the grounds, Sabina Park in Jamaica is the second most successful ground for India after the Queen’s Park Oval.

Overall Test record:

For India: