ST JOHN’S, Antigua CMC – For the umpteenth time in recent series, West Indies find themselves battling to avoid a series defeat when they face powerhouses India in their third One-Day International here today. Battered in the doubleheader in Trinidad and Tobago to fall behind 0-2 in the series, West Indies will hope to stay alive in the series by getting the better of the Indians at the Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium.
They have lost all three games so far in the series without putting up so much as a fight and the odds will be firmly stacked in the visitors’ favour.
However, West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard told reporters yesterday the regional side was hoping for friendly conditions in order to haul themselves back into the series.
“Hopefully we can get a West Indian friendly pitch, whereas the Indians left the Indian conditions and came to the Caribbean to even more Indian conditions,” Pollard joked, in referring to the turning pitch at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.
“Hopefully we can go out there and actually get a good wicket that we can dominate against the spinners because that has been our problem.
“In the second game we showed some signs of it so hopefully the improvement is there … the guys are working hard. Once we go out there and do the correct things, right things – play each ball on its merit – I think we can give India a good fight for the rest of the series.”
A victory, however, will prove a tough task for a side that have not beaten a top flight side in an ODI in two years.
Moreover, in three matches against India over the last week, West Indies have not looked like winning a single game.
They lost the opening Twenty20 International by 16 runs and then went down in the opening ODI by four wickets. The Windies gave an improved performance in the third game on Wednesday but still lost by three wickets.
Pollard, who got a three-ball duck in his first match of the series in the second ODI, said the Windies needed to quickly find their winning momentum.
“They say everything is a habit. Winning is a habit and losing is a habit. Sometimes we find ourselves in positions where we can win the game and we go on to lose it because of the fact we’re not accustomed to winning and winning much in a row,” the Indian Premier League star pointed out.
“Hopefully we can get that luck and that extra impetus so we can go out there and actually win one so we can build a momentum.
“The feeling of winning one game is a whole totally different feeling of losing two, three games in a row so once we can get that one win on the board and get that confidence going again, that would be good.
“Having said that, the guys are confident and I hope we can have a good showing because it’s a do-or-die situation. It’s the third game and we need to win this one to stay in the series. Hopefully we can go out there and be a more competitive unit.”
If they are to break their losing skid, West Indies will need more from their batsmen who have managed totals of just 214 and 240 so far.
Experienced right-hander Ramnaresh Sarwan has racked up successive half-centuries while Lendl Simmons and Marlon Samuels have also gotten fifties but all have failed to carry on.
Their bowlers have hardly been threatening and with medium pacer Dwayne Bravo and pacer Ravi Rampaul rested for this game, they could find themselves even more lacking, but speedster Kemar Roach has been recalled for the first time this series and much will rest on him to lead the attack.
Squad (from):
West Indies – Darren Sammy (captain), Carlton Baugh Jr, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Danza Hyatt, Anthony Martin, Kieron Pollard, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons
INDIA – Suresh Raina (captain), Harbhajan Singh (vice-captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, Subramaniam Badrinath, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel, Parthiv Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary.