Bowling coach Curtly Ambrose guided fast medium bowlers Kemar Roach and Jerome Taylor as the West Indians got down to their first training session at the Brabourne Stadium on Wednesday.
Chief selector Clive Lloyd, Director of West Indies cricket Richard Pybus and manager Richie Richardson watched as a group of specialists chosen for five ODIs and one Twenty20 International went about their drills.
Now 50, Ambrose has not played a Test in India nor returned here since the 1996 World Cup. The West Indies media manager said Ambrose was likely to travel with the team right through the tour, but should Lloyd decide to return home another selector Courtney Walsh might replace him.
The West Indies is hoping to beat India at home in a Test series for the first time in 30 years and also win a one-day series in India after 11 years.
The West Indies won four Test series in India from 1948 to 1975 and again in 1983-84, soon after India shocked it in the Prudential World Cup. The Caribbeans drew (1-1) the series in 1987-88 and 1994-95.
Richardson said it could be different on this tour. “This is going to be the first time since (1983-84) I believe we have the calibre of players who can perform well enough to beat anybody. We accept that we are not at the top of the rankings, but the guys are going to play confident and positive cricket and do very well against India,” said the Antiguan.
Bravo as captainRichardson said Dwayne Bravo was an intelligent cricketer who had done reasonably well as captain.
“He has lots of experience. He has been playing for the West Indies for a while, played all over the world and certainly has a lot of experience in Indian conditions.
“He knows the Indian players and I am pretty sure he will do well as captain in ODIs. Confidence is one of the things that you can gain from this series. Obviously we look at this series as preparation for the World Cup.”
When told about Rahul Dravid’s view that ODI cricket, other than played in the ICC World Cup and Champions Trophy, was struggling, Richardson said: “The authorities have always got to keep cricket exciting, alive and attractive.
“If the fans are not watching, if you are not getting sponsorship you have got to do something to keep it alive. All formats are very important to the game of cricket.
“But the authorities have got to have the right balance to make sure that all formats get the right amount of attention.”
Coach Stuart Williams is confident that off-spinner Sunil Narine, reported for suspect action in the ongoing CLT20, will come out of the predicament he was in.
