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West Indies arrive in Delhi needing a spark. An innings defeat in Ahmedabad, totals of 162 and 146, and talk of the World Test Championship moving to two tiers have all added to the noise around the dressing-room. Roston Chase, now 53 Tests into an up-and-down career and captaining a side short on runs, is trying to keep the message simple.
“Obviously we are down right now but it has to change at some point, and the change can start from now,” he said on the eve of the second and final Test. “But it starts with the belief and the mindset of each and every player, and just keep motivating the guys that we can still play some positive cricket.”
Facts first
• India lead the series 1-0 after an innings win in Ahmedabad.
• West Indies’ highest partnership last week was 46; India posted 448 for 5 declared.
• Cricket West Indies has convened senior figures at home to examine structural issues.
Why the batting matters
Chase insists confidence is not the problem. “I don’t think the guys are lacking confidence. But it’s just to get that one score, to get that start and to then kick on from there,” he explained. A single innings, he believes, can change the mood: “It just takes one… get that good innings or that hundred or that big fifty, that then gives you the confidence to actually think ‘I can do it’.”
At Motera the visitors managed only two individual 30-plus scores – Justin Greaves and Alick Athanaze – and never put India’s attack under any genuine pressure. Chase accepts that absorbing the early squeeze and then counter-punching is critical. “We didn’t start well as a batting unit and the pressure is on, and it’s for us to soak up that pressure as batters, and still find a way to score, put pressure back on to the Indian bowlers,” he said. “That is the biggest challenge for us. We just need to get that start and kick on. And we’ll be fine.”
Personal form under scrutiny
Chase’s own numbers mirror the wider struggle. He averaged 42 after his first ten Tests; the figure now sits at 25.57, with no century in his last 24 matches. He bowls useful off-spin but the cost – 46 runs per wicket – shows he is hardly a front-line threat. Still, the captain prefers to talk process over statistics.
“I can’t really speak for anyone [else], but for myself, I just think it’s a matter of confidence and continuously playing quality first-class cricket and so on,” he said. Regular, tough red-ball cricket, he argues, sharpens technique and exposes weaknesses quickly. “When you first start, no one really knows you, and then, obviously, [you] play a couple of games and people see your weaknesses and try to exploit them. So it’s for the players to just improve on those weaknesses from as early as possible. That’s it.”
Systemic concerns
Head coach Darren Sammy, never shy of honest words, was even more direct. “Our problems are rooted deep into our system,” he observed before training. Sammy wants stronger domestic competitions and clearer pathways from youth cricket to the Test side. He is not alone; back in Antigua, CWI officials and former greats have gathered to plot a long-term fix, conscious that ninth place on the WTC table will invite talk of relegation if a two-tier model is approved.
Conditions in Delhi
Arun Jaitley Stadium traditionally offers early help for seamers before slowing into a stiffer test of patience for spinners and batters alike. India are unlikely to tinker with a winning XI; West Indies may consider bringing in an extra batter or a second spinner, depending on how the surface looks at the toss. Either way, staying in the game for more than three sessions is non-negotiable.
Perspective, not panic
No one in maroon is pretending that one good innings solves every problem. Yet teams short on victories often need a single moment to convince themselves they still belong. Chase, mindful of that, keeps returning to the same phrase: “get that start”. It is hardly a grand blueprint, but it is realistic, and right now realism may serve West Indies better than sweeping declarations.
A fresh pitch, a new toss, and perhaps a stroke of luck – small things can alter the direction of a tour. West Indies, battered but not beaten, have forty-eight hours in Delhi to prove as much.
