BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies head coach Daren Sammy said his side was obviously disappointed with the way they played in the first One-day International against India on Thursday in Barbados.
He said he and the players have reflected strongly on the performance in that match, and they will be looking to put up a much stronger fight in the second ODI today at Kensington Oval in an attempt to level the three-match series.
The Caribbean side sunk to a demoralising five-wicket defeat against the Indians with left-arm spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja sharing seven wickets and demolishing their batting after they were sent in on an unpredictable pitch.
“I had a strong word with the guys in the dressing room, talking about the fight that we have to show when we are faced with difficult situations,” the former West Indies captain said in an interview with CWI Media.
“It’s difficult for me because you see the work the guys have put in, but it’s about transferring the work from the nets and having the confidence out there when the [pitch] is a bit difficult and there is a need to apply themselves some more.”
West Indies struggles in the format continued when Kuldeep ended with the flattering figures of four for six from three overs and Jadeja supported with three for 37 from six overs, and they were dismissed for 114 in 23 overs on a surface that allowed the spinners to generate considerable turn.
“You saw the captain doing that, putting up a fight,” Sammy added. “Being in a position of 45 for one after eight overs, it was about building a platform, but the guys are very disappointed about the performance and I expect a better outing in the second ODI.
“I am a positive guy, so I will always try to uplift the mood in the camp, but it takes a team to go out there at the end of the day and perform, skill-wise, mentally, that could allow us to win at the end of the day.”
Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie and leg-spinner Yannic Cariah caused some anxious moments for the Indian batsmen, and the visitors gifted a few cheap wickets before their captain Rohit Sharma, batting at seven, formalised the result with 163 balls remaining.
“Before we went out into the field, I made sure that they understood we could still make a game of it,” he said. “The bowlers showed good character. India shuffled their batting line-up, but that’s out of our control.
“We could have gone out there and laid down and be rolled over, but they fought. We got five wickets and created eight opportunities during that period, and Motie is world-class. He is a skilful bowler and plays all formats for us.
“Jayden Seales coming back from injury look really good, and we missed Cariah dearly in the World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe after he suffered that facial injury, so there was still positives in a gloomy day (on Thursday), so we are hoping that we have more positive impacts moving forward.”
The defeat for West Indies came on the heels of their failure to qualify for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 India in October, the first time the Caribbean side will be missing the global showpiece.