The Indian bowling coach, Paras Mhambrey, lauded his team’s bowling assault for persevering despite the unfavorable surface at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain during India vs West Indies 2nd Test (IND vs WI) on Saturday.
Only four wickets were taken in 67 overs as the West Indies showed tenacity despite finishing the rain-soaked third day 209 runs behind India’s first innings total.
The hosts scored 143 runs on the day, led by Kraigg Brathwaite’s 235-ball vigil in which he scored only 75 runs. Jermaine Backwood (92-ball 20) and Alick Athanze (111-ball 37*) took a similar strategy on a day where the hitters faced little threat to guide West Indies to 229 for 5.
Mhambrey defended his bowlers and said, “The pitch is extremely slow. When we had come in the morning, even Rohit had spoken about it – the ball wasn’t seaming or spinning a lot. It was extremely slow. Towards the end, the ball was turning slightly, but it was very easy for batting.
“To top it, they were batting extremely defensively. Had they played some shots, maybe there would have been some opportunities to pick wickets. But they weren’t even trying for that. But to sum it up, our bowlers put in the effort. Whatever was expected from the team and the captain, they fulfilled that.”
For the second game in a row, the circumstances have not been comparable to those seen in the West Indies in recent years for Test cricket. The spinners received a lot of support in Dominica, whilst the ground in Port of Spain was generally flat. Mhambrey admitted that with only two days of play remaining and the potential of rain, India will be racing against the clock to grab 20 wickets in the match.
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“The wicket should be sporting, where all departments have an opportunity – whether it’s batting or bowling. If you go to either extreme… Dominica was turning a bit and we could use that wicket better given the bowlers we had. On this wicket, it will be quite a challenge to pick 20 wickets. The first challenge would be to bowl them out in the first innings and then see at what stage the game is at. Then we’ll reassess what to do in the second innings. These wickets are challenging and will be a lot of hard work for the bowlers. Wickets shouldn’t be so flat.”
The bowling coach praised rookie Mukesh Kumar for picking up his first international wicket when he trapped Kirk McKenzie caught behind on 32 to give India their first wicket of the day. That was the only wicket he took in 14 overs – with both the old and new ball.
“Given the conditions, he has bowled very well,” Mhambrey said. “The way he has gone about, putting everything that he has, is very heartening to see. That’s what was from him, by the captain the captain and the team management. That’s what we wanted and that’s what he has done. The progress he has shown from the first ball and the way he bowled with the second new ball was impressive.”
Following an outstanding performance by India’s second new ball combination, the Indian bowling coach believes that a chance to penetrate the West Indies’ defence exists in the opening hour on Sunday, especially with the second ball still relatively fresh.
“The first session is important,” he said. “It was heartening to see Siraj and Mukesh swing the second new ball and trouble the batsmen. The first hour in the morning is going to be extremely crucial. If we pick up a couple of wickets and make inroads, we can take the game forward and see where we are going ahead. First hour is going to be crucial. Just hit the right areas, stay patient and make the batsmen play.”
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