India vs West Indies: They didn’t even try playing shots, says India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey | Cricket News – Times of India

With the series standing at 0-1 in favor of India, the West Indies, in reply to India’s first-innings score of 438, appeared unenthusiastic about scoring quickly during the third day’s play at Queen’s Park Oval.

“The pitch is very slow, very easy for batting. Towards the end, it started turning a bit. West Indies were defensive with the bat too. When there’s an attempt to play shots, there’s an opportunity to get a wicket but they didn’t even try that,” Mhambrey said at the end of day’s play.

“We were quite impressive, our bowlers did whatever was expected of them though.”
Expressing his thoughts on the pitch, the former Mumbai and India seamer emphasized the importance of a balanced and sporting wicket, one that offers opportunities for both batsmen and bowlers.
He further remarked that the current pitch makes it challenging to take 20 wickets, presenting a formidable task for the bowlers.
“Yes, Dominica pitch had turn but we utilised the conditions better, the quality of our bowlers allowed us to use it well. On this pitch, though, it will be hard to take 20 wickets. First target is to get them all out in the first innings and then see what lies ahead. Obviously, it’s hard work for bowlers on such wickets but yeah, they shouldn’t be so flat. It’s not entertaining, you want to get results.”

In a comfortable victory, India secured a 1-0 lead in the Test series after their triumph in Dominica.
At the end of the third day, the West Indies stood at 229 for five and appeared to be adopting a defensive approach, seemingly playing for a draw on a pitch that offered little assistance to the bowlers.
Looking ahead to the remaining two days of the match, with the West Indies trailing by 209 runs, Mhambrey suggested that early wickets on the fourth morning could significantly aid his team’s chances.

“We are trying to win the match, go session by session. Will see how it’s after the first hour. The ball is still new thankfully.
“The way (Mohammed) Siraj and Mukesh (Kumar) have bowled and generated swing, looks like we can take wickets. One or two wickets early on will throw open the game. We are playing with the mindset to win,” he said.
Debutant seamer Mukesh secured his maiden Test wicket by dismissing Kirk McKenzie in the first hour of play. However, their momentum was interrupted when rain arrived unexpectedly, leading to an early lunch break.
“I am extremely happy with the progress he (Mukesh) has shown from the first ball of the first session he bowled, to the second new ball where he showed some signs of moving the new ball; it was real quality stuff,” Mhambrey said of the bowler.

(AI image)