WEST Indies coach Floyd Reifer, believes that his side will use the positives of his side’s first one day international loss against hosts India to spur a rejuvenated performance.
Speaking ahead of the second one-day international, Reifer said while they fell down in the series opener on Sunday, they were enough things to build on, and if they capitalize, they could come out with a better result.
The West Indies senior men’s side on Sunday was soundly beaten by India by 8 wickets with 50 balls to spare.
“We had a lot of positives, the start that we had, in terms of partnership. In the first 10 overs, obviously the opener took that to 135-140, Justin Greaves got a hundred, and John got a fifty as well. In terms of the middle overs, batting, Jangoo played really well, getting his 50. We got a lot coming out of the last game; it is just us to become consistent a bit longer, batting those middle overs.” He said.
Meanwhile, he explained the team’s rationale behind picking young Jewel Andrews.
“He is one of our good talents coming from the Caribbean. If you look at how he played the U19 World Cup, I thought he played really well, hit some big scores, and showed signs that once given the opportunity, he can perform at this level. Bringing him to the team is for him to get some experience as quickly as possible, try to learn on the job, and whenever his opportunity comes, he will try to maximize it…he has the talent, but we have to turn the talent into performance; he has to put in his preparation and the thing off the field to perform on the field of play.”
He says that the pitches in India allow for freer stroke play.
‘When you watch IPL, you get good pitches, fast outfields, and small outfields. It’s a great opportunity as a batsman to score runs in India. You get value for your shots. The outfields are really quick. The key is to establish strong positions and exploit gaps,” According to the coach
He says they have been steadily improving their batting in the middle over time, as he highlights what they scored in 2024 and 2025, but admits it is still a work in progress.
The third ODI is set for October 3rd, with five T20s set to follow from October 6th to 17th.