One victory has turned West Indies upbeat. Contrary to the form displayed in the games leading to the ODI series, the team cruised to a resounding victory on a day when nothing went right for the Indians.
Even as Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men prepare to square the five-match series at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground here on Saturday, West Indies skipper Dwayne Bravo is aware of the Indians’ resolve.
“Our challenge is to see if we can repeat our success from the previous ODI (at Kochi), or come close with a good performance.” These words from Bravo, on Friday, will give a fair idea of how hard the Indians will come at the West Indies in the second ODI.
Though India had suffered its fourth heaviest home defeat at Kochi, Bravo was guarded in his optimism.
“It is a great feeling to go one-nil up against the world champs, especially when we don’t have (Chris) Gayle and Sunil (Narine). Now that we’ve got a good start, we have to make sure we maintain it. That is going to be our biggest test.”
On whether opener Lendl Simmons was fit to play, Bravo said, “Simmons is still struggling with his back. I took the responsibility to open in the first game, but I am not sure where I am going to bat in Saturday’s game.”
Like the West Indies, India, too, has been employing a make-shift opening pair after Rohit Sharma’s injury. However, Shikhar Dhawan was optimistic of forming a successful partnership with Rahane.
“With Ajinkya, sometimes it happens that he is in great form and timing the ball sweetly, so he takes on the role of the aggressor. I enjoyed opening with Rohit, and now with Ajinkya, it has been great so far,” he said.
Reflecting on his recent form, Dhawan said, “In the World T20 tournament, I was getting out lbw, now I’m getting bowled (laughs). I’ve been playing spin well but not executing my shots. Overall, I feel my game has improved.”
Asked about playing in front of his home crowd, Dhawan said, “Obviously after seven-eight years of Ranji Trophy, it is good to return here as an India player. I miss hanging around here, but playing in front of your home crowd is always special. It’s a dream and I will cherish it.”
