A team needs to score 400 runs to win or not lose a Test match. In 81 years of Test cricket at Jamaica, only once a team lost by scoring 400 Runs. It was in 2005, when West Indies lost to Pakistan after scoring 404 in their 1st innings.
Lately it has been a rarity for the home side to score 400 runs.
Adding to all this, Sabina Park has not been batting friendly for teams, as it becomes very difficult for teams to get a good solid start.
Since 2000 the Avg. run for the opening stand is 32 for West Indies, & during this period only once their openers posted a 100 partnership. (Gayle & Hinds putting on 111, vs India in 2002)It gets worse for the visiting sides, in the same period the opening stand Avg. 15.68, with a single 50 run partnership to their credit. This is one of the reason why teams are unable to post big score at Sabina Park.
In this Test match, India were saved by some poor batting from the West Indies. The match started with India scoring a very modest score of 246, to which the home side replied with 173. This gave the No. 1 side a great deal of confidence to bat long and score a decent total in their 2nd innings, so that their bowlers could defend a score which would be difficult to chase, on a on a pitch which was never helpful for any batsman.
West Indies lost their game in 2nd innings, when their bowlers were unable to restrict India inside 200 runs,(only thrice teams went past 200 in 2nd inn. this decade ) & had to chase down more than 250 runs.
India came into this series with a new opening pair, who so far had a tough time against new ball. In both innings their middle order was exposed to the new ball.
Abhinav Mukund who made his Test debut, is averaging 58 in first class cricket, & was very prolific for Tamil Nadu & South Zone last season, yet his involvement in big partnerships has been shortcoming, especially for the opening stand.
| Tamil Nadu | A Mukund
(score) |
1st wk | Team Score | Result |
| Assam | 22 & 32 | 52 & 65 | 346 & 123 | Won by 7 wkts |
| Delhi | 2 & 59 | 3 & 87 | 208 & 143-3 | Drawn |
| Saurashtra | 232 & 15* | 9 & 15 | 582 & 30-1 | Drawn |
| Railways | 131 & DNB | 5 & DNB | 335 | Drawn |
| Bengal | 41 & DNB | 31 & DNB | 132-4 | Drawn |
| Mumbai | 13 & DNB | 28 & DNB | 347 | Drawn |
| Gujarat | 7 & DNB | 11 & DNB | 240 | Drawn |
| Haryana | 34 & DNB | 39 & DNB | 285-6 | Drawn |
| Rajasthan | 47 & 0* | 18 & 2 | 385 & 2-0 | Drawn |
One feels that his performance in Duleep Trophy got him selected to represent India in Test matches for this West Indies tour, & for India’s sake, one hopes that he can play with the same kind of aggression and freedom, as he did for South Zone earlier this year.
| South Zone | A Mukund
(score) |
1st wk | Team Score | Result |
| Central | 105 & 164 | 15 & 87 | 443 & 504-7d | Won by 552 runs |
| North Zone | 34 & 64 | 85 & 100 | 477 & 178 -3 | Won by 7 wkts |
All stats are updated before 1st Test (Ind v WI, @ Jamaica, 2011)
Next Test match @ Kensington Oval, should be a batting paradise for teams, if their openers play to their potential. The average opening stand for the visiting side is 43.11, & for West Indies @ 37.60.
