Roston Chase addresses the pre-match press conference.
Credit: PTI Photo
Ahmedabad: Given the wide gulf between the two sides, India are expected to beat the West Indies 2-0 in the Test series starting Thursday.
Even visiting skipper Roston Chase is aware of the magnitude of the challenge that awaits his team come Thursday, but the 33-year-old believes the total focus on India could actually free up their minds.
“Obviously, we come in as underdogs. It makes us quite a dangerous side when you really have nothing to lose,” said Chase at the pre-match press conference.
“You can just go and play freely because, I mean, everyone is expecting us to lose. So, you can just go and express yourselves and play some good cricket.
“Just try to be as free as possible and enjoy the cricket. The series will be tough, and things may not go according to plans. It’s Test cricket, and things can change. So enjoy the tough moments. Put everything behind you as it has happened before and just come up with the mentality that we're looking to dominate and looking to win. We have to stick together as a unit, coaching staff, players, and management. We are in India, and we are not going to get much support. We have to support one another through the tough times.”
The West Indies are no more the force they once were, and Chase, nicknamed the ‘Crisis Man’, has a lot of rebuilding to do. The skipper admitted the road to resurrection is long and hard, but the West Indies have to slog it out day by day.
“Obviously, we are not in a good position right now in terms of our Test status, and we're kind of low. We have to put that behind us now and focus on the goal ahead. We need to take one game at a time and one session at a time. Learn the conditions as fast as possible. Obviously, New Zealand came last year and dominated India. We’ve learnt from what they did. The goal is to play good cricket.”