West Indies might have been defeated 2-0 by India but they fared much better in Delhi as compared to Ahmedabad. Their skipper Roston Chase hailed this performance as a “stepping stone” for the Caribbean troops to improve as a Test-playing nation.
“I think this is the kind of fight that I wanted to see from us, from matches before. So, I think this is a stepping stone, a building step for us to go forward and improve as a Test playing nation,” Chase said.
West Indies were on a shaky footing when India enforced the follow-on after being 270 runs adrift on the third day but they showed gut and gumption to set India a 121-run target and drag the game to the final day on an anodyne surface. “This is the performance that I think will give us the confidence and boost us in terms of that belief that we can do it. Against proper Test playing nations. So, yeah, I just want to see the guys continue in this vein and not let us go back to those old ways.”
Chase felt that even if they didn’t end on the right side of the results, losing with their heads held high could instill belief within the dressing room. “I think that sometimes we don’t really have that joy in the dressing room because we’re not really playing good. So it’s not really enjoyable to come out there and be on the losing end. But once we can find that enjoyment in still playing and working hard for each other, I think that will take the group forward.
“Even if it’s for us to lose, we have to lose in a good way. In a positive way, where we can have a lot of positives coming out of the game.”
West Indies struggled to put runs on the board in the first innings of each Test. They managed 162 in Ahmedabad while giving a better account of themselves with 248 in Delhi. Chase admitted that the batting unit still had a long way to go and believed that once they put on sizeable first innings totals, they can fight for more points in the World Test Championship.
“I think where we could improve mainly is our batting. I think that’s what let us down for the last two series… once we can put good first inning totals on the board, we will be able to fight for some wins in the Test Championship.”
It has been a bumpy start for Chase as captain having lost his first five Tests but he has marshalled his men against two heavyweights in Australia and India. They still have New Zealand to contend before the end of 2025. West Indies will face Sri Lanka and Pakistan next year and Chase reckons they can go toe to toe against such oppositions.
“This first year in this cycle, was going to be tough with oppositions like Australia, India and then we go to New Zealand. But I think that once we learn from what we’ve done in those series and take it into the next year where we have guys like Sri Lanka and Pakistan, guys that we are closer to in the rankings, I think that we can be more competitive against those once we learn from these games.”
Chase rued that the length of this tour won’t give him and his side a chance to build on this Delhi performance. “This is a short series, short division…the things that you learn in the second innings, you’re not able to see whether you can maintain that consistency because of the short nature of things.”
Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir too was impressed by the grit of the opposition, especially in the second innings in Delhi, emphasizing that the world needs West Indian cricket. “I’ve always believed this, that world cricket needs West Indian cricket. That is something which is very important. It was very nice to see them fight. And obviously, they’re an inexperienced team. And a lot of changes has happened there. But the way they fought in the second innings, obviously, will give them a lot of confidence.”
