West Indies skipper Roston Chase sported a grim look as he addressed the media after his side’s innings and 140-run thrashing at the hands of India in just over two and a half days of the first Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Saturday.
His eyes were hollow, and the words could barely come out of his mouth. Saturday’s loss was the fourth successive defeat they encountered and their fifth in six Tests this year. If it was just skills, it would be easier for Chase to accept. But he acknowledged that there were far deeper issues that his country’s islands are facing.
“I think the systems in the Caribbean are a bit poor in terms of training facilities and stuff,” Chase reasoned and immediately cautioned that he did not want to use that as an excuse for the loss.
“I still think that the onus is on the players to find some way to churn up runs and wickets. ”
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When asked to elaborate on what the West Indies were struggling with, Chase revealed, “There is a struggle in the Caribbean for finances. So whatever help we can get, if they are planning to get the help, I hope that we do get it so that we could strengthen the infrastructure for cricket.”
The visitors were handcuffed even before they landed in India as two of their strike bowlers and express pacers, Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, got injured and were ruled out.
An SOS was sent out to former captain and allrounder Jason Holder to join the squad in India. However, he refused and said he has to undergo a medical procedure. Gifted players like Nicholas Pooran have retired to ply their trade only in T20 franchise cricket.
These issues need to be solved on an urgent basis if West Indies cricket is to get back its aura.
Chase remained dignified and philosophical, yet pragmatic while answering.
“A guy is going to try to earn his living,” he added, “I can’t really speak on another man’s body. ”
“One thing I can say is that there’s a lot more cricket being played. There’s not a lot of rest for a player, especially if he’s playing all formats of the game. And then, especially with the leagues around the world, guys are looking to earn their money. They’re not really resting, getting adequate rest that their body may need.
But if they can try to stay as fit as possible and do a lot of gym work and not get too bulky but be strong enough that they can handle the load or in the case where they can pick and choose certain formats of the game and be available, I think that would be obviously better for us. But it is what it is. A guy is going to try to earn his living. ”
Chase pleaded with the authorities and curators back home to give the side better pitches to enable the batters to get into the habit of batting for long periods.
“The pitches in the Caribbean are not really batsman-friendly. So guys don’t really bat for long periods and score those big scores. And then, too, the outfields in the Caribbean are really slow. When you hit the ball in the gaps, you probably end up struggling to get two. ”
He cited the example of the three-match Test series against Australia where no side crossed 300 and no batter reached three figures. “I think that was the first time I’ve ever played an international series where a batsman never scored a hundred in three matches.”
Chase defended his decision to bat first in Ahmedabad and said despite the Indian bowlers bowling exceptionally well, “the pitch had no devils in it.”
How then can he defend scores of 162 in 44.1 overs in their first innings and 146 in 45.1 overs in the second that the Windies registered? “We’ve not been able to bat 80 overs or even get at least 250 or 300 runs on the board,” Chase said. “Anytime you win a toss in a Test and bat and you don’t bat out the first day, you’re always going to be in trouble. We needed to be tighter with our defence,” he reflected.
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