19 June,2009 01:18 PM IST | | AFP
West Indies captain Chris Gayle expects India to be back to their best when the teams meet in the Caribbean for a one-day series starting next week.
Gayle's side sprung a surprise when they beat India by seven wickets in a World Twenty20 Super Eights match at Lord's last week, a loss that contributed to the defending champions' failure to make it through to the semi-finals.
By contrast, the West Indies have reached the last four where they are up against Sri Lanka at the Oval on Friday.
But opening batsman Gayle, speaking at the Oval here on Thursday, told reporters: "India are never easy to beat, it doesn't matter where they play. They are a very good one-day team and I am sure they want to rebound from what happened here in the T20.
"They have a lot to play for and they will want to give their own crowd something to cheer about," the left-hander added.
"It will be a challenging tour. We just want to get past this stage. I am sure they are actually prepared for us and they will come at us hard to try to win back some sort of support for the team."
The first of a four-match limited overs series between the West Indies and India is due to take place at Jamaica star Gayle's Sabina Park home ground in Kingston on June 26, with the second match at the same venue on June 28.
The series concludes with a pair of matches in St Lucia on July 3 and 5.
