India vs Windies: Kemar Roach to return home for personal reasons

One of the bowling hopes of the Windies side that will tour India next month, Kemar Roach, is set to return to Barbados, his home, following the death of his grandmother. The 30-year-old will rejoin the squad after the funeral which means he is likely to miss the Caribbeans’ two-day tour game against the Board President’s XI in Vadodara starting September 29. No replacement has been announced for Roach.

Led by Jason Holder, the Windies will play India in two Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is starting in Rajkot on October 4. The Caribbeans haven’t tasted a Test series victory in India since 1983-84 when they won a six-match series 3-0 and the last time they returned unbeaten from a Test series in India was in 1994-95 when a three-match series ended 1-1.

No practice game for Roach

For Kemar Roach, missing the two-day game in Vadodara means he will be heading straight into the series without any practice game according to Cricket World. The pacer’s last red-ball engagement was in the first Test versus Bangladesh at home in July. He took a fifer in that game but also sustained a hamstring injury and was rested for the second match in Jamaica.

That was his last international assignment and only played a couple of games in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) for Jamaica Tallawahs since then. He picked up only a solitary wicket in two games but gave away 91 runs in eight overs he bowled.

Roach is the most experienced of the five fast bowlers that the Windies have included in their squad for the upcoming series. He has played 48 games since 2009 and picked up 163 wickets in them at an average of 28.31. He also has 109 scalps in 72 ODIs. Shannon Gabriel and Holder have played 37 and 34 Tests, respectively, while Keemo Paul has played one and Sherman Lewis is yet to make his debut.

They had last toured India in 2013-14 and were beaten 0-2 in a two-Test series which was also the final one for the legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar.

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