29 November,2011 08:22 AM IST | | A Correspondent
After putting up a much-improved show in the last two Tests in Kolkata and Mumbai, skipper Darren Sammy called for more consistency from his side in the one-dayers commencing today. The tourists scored 463 in their second innings at Eden Gardens and 590 in the first innings at the Wankhede Stadium, with young Darren Bravo smashing centuries in both matches to announce his arrival on the big stage.
Sammy bowls in the nets at the Barabati Stadium yesterday. Pic/AFP
"As a team we are making some strides, but we still need more consistency," Sammy said. "We did some good things earlier this year against Pakistan and India at home and we beat Bangladesh there last month. "We came here and competed in the Tests against India, but did not capitalise on the key moments," felt Sammy
The good news for them is hard-hitting all-rounder Kieron Pollard is returning to the West Indies squad whereas batsman Jason Mohammed and off-spinner Sunil Narine are the new entrants.
"We have seen what he (Pollard) has done here in the IPL. Last time he played in the World Cup, he batted well. He has a lot of knowledge about Indian conditions and Indian players, having played here for three seasons. We have the belief that we will come out well and look to win matches. Both teams have equally capable players who can make an impact," Sammy stated.
The West Indies skipper felt India would miss a great finisher in Mahendra Singh Dhoni after he was rested for the ODI series. "There's no doubt that India will miss Dhoni... looking at the one-day series against England (both away and in India), Dhoni contributed a lot at his position. Basically, he finishes the game for India all the time," Sammy said.
"Sans Dhoni, somebody will have to play the role of a finisher for the hosts. But we will be looking at our squad and focus on what we have to do in order to beat India," he added. The remaining matches will be played in Visakhapatnam (December 2), Ahmedabad (December 5), Indore (December 8) and Chennai (December 11).
