West Indies Cricket Will be in Soul Searching Mode After Crushing India Defeat

West Indies cricket team started the Test series against India as the underdogs. After suffering a massive innings and 92-run defeat against Virat Kohli's young side, the probability of a contest in the remainder of the four-match series is looking bleak.

On Sunday, after West Indies were all out for 231 after being asked to follow-on, India secured their biggest win in Test cricket outside Asia. More importantly, the result has raised questions on the ability of the Caribbean players to play the five-day format of cricket.

With the International Cricket Council mulling a two-tier format to keep interest alive in Test cricket, the rapid decline of West Indies is not good news for once the invincibles of the game. To lose at a ground named after the great Vivian Richards was an irony.

West Indies, a lowly eighth in the ICC Test rankings, inability to make a contest of the first Test will raise further concerns about the future of the Caribbean team in the five-day format.

West Indies captain blames it on bowlers

"We didn't really bowl well in the first innings. It was a daunting task, trying to chase 560-odd," said West Indies captain Jason Holder.

"We obviously need to bowl a bit better. Shannon (Gabriel) bowled extremely well, (Devendra) Bishoo was decent. We just need to string together some more dot balls, some more pressure deliveries."

Holder's defence is poor. To blame it on the bowlers for this humiliating defeat can't cover the poor approach by the batsmen or their inability to play the likes of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, whose seven for 83 wiped out the Caribbeans in the second innings.

This year has been great for West Indies cricket. Their men and women won the World T20 titles after the under-19 boys were crowned champions. But Sunday's defeat will ask questions of the West Indies Cricket Board that is struggling to get their best players to turn out in whites.

While West Indies lost to India, their top stars like Chris Gayle were playing in Caribbean Premier League. (Photo credit: CPL)

Top stars playing Caribbean Premier League

It is ironic that some of West Indies best players like Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy and Andre Russell are performing well in the Caribbean Premier League which is running concurrently with the Test series.

In Antigua, World T20 star Carlos Brathwaite, batting at number nine, top scored for West Indies with 51 not out, while Marlon Samuels (50) and Devendra Bishoo (45) tried to frustrate the visitors but they only delayed the inevitable.

If West Indies top five can't score the runs or at least show the application and to face the Indian attack, the result of this Test series is a foregone conclusion. More importantly, it will be a bad advertisement for the longest format of the game and ICC will be worried.

The second Test starts in Kingston, Jamaica, on Saturday.