‘New Zealand came and dominated India’: WI captain Roston Chase embraces underdog tag ahead of India Tests

Roston Chase embraces underdog tag for West Indies ahead of India Tests

When the West Indies last played in a Test series, it lost 0–3 to Australia in June–July of this year. If the team's performance throughout the series was poor, the last Test in Kingston made it even more evident when they were bowled out for just 27 runs in the second innings.

The Caribbean team now have a lot to think about as it prepares for a two-match series against India. Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, two of the team's most important fast bowlers, have already been sidelined by injuries.

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Although the conditions in India would be difficult, West Indies skipper Roston Chase acknowledged on the eve of the series opener that his young team is ready to fight. The team has taken inspiration from New Zealand's historic victory against India at home last year as part of its build-up.

“We are not in a good position right now in terms of our Test status, and we are kind of low on the table, but we have to put that behind us and just worry about what’s ahead of us right now, and play each day, each game, one day at a time, one session at a time, and just try to learn the conditions as fast as possible,” Chase said.

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“Obviously, New Zealand came last year and dominated India, so we are really trying to learn from what they did and put some of that stuff in place so that we can play good cricket, compete, and try to win the series…”

Chase sounded an optimistic note while acknowledging the difficulty that lay ahead. He claimed that after a week-long training session in Ahmedabad, the players are more capable of adjusting to the circumstances and applying pressure on India.

“India is mainly a spin-based (dominated) country, but I saw the pitch yesterday (Tuesday) and it does look a bit green, so we don’t know what it will be yet. Everyone has been preparing well so far. It’s been a bit hot, so that’s been a bit of a stumbling block for us so far, but guys have been doing well,” he said.

“We are coming in as the underdogs, and we have nothing to lose. That makes us quite a dangerous side. You can just go and play freely because everyone is expecting us to lose.”