New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS) Ahead of the upcoming two-match Test series against India, West Indies spinner Khary Pierre said his work ethic of looking to put hard work over talent has been the cornerstone of his approach towards the game.

Pierre has played three ODIs and 10 T20Is for the West Indies, but could make his debut in Tests if the visitors pick him for the first game in Ahmedabad, starting on October 2. Pierre’s journey to being in the West Indies’ Test team has been one of quiet perseverance.

He made his first-class debut at 25 and spent nine years climbing the ranks in the Trinidad set-up. Pierre brings with him the experience of 35 red-ball matches, and picking 111 wickets at 22.81, while hitting a first-class century.

“There’s the youth level. Going up from under-15, under-17, and under-19, and I was in all these things. I made my debut for Trinidad. It was tough, but I never gave up, just putting in the extra work. I always tend to want to do more,” said Pierre in a clipping shared by Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Monday.

“Even after practice, (I want to) bowl more balls, hit more balls. As I always say, ‘hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.’ I always take that and put it towards my game,” he added.

Asked how he got to know about his Test squad selection, Pierre recalled, “I was actually playing CPL, with St Lucia Kings, when I first got the news. It’s a great honour, a privilege to represent the West Indies, something that I dreamt of when I was young.”

“I grew up watching the West Indies play, the likes of Brian Lara and these guys, just watching Test cricket. I was really happy, I couldn’t put together words (to describe) the feeling at that moment.”

Pierre’s entry into the Test team was underlined by a dominant run in the first-class championship earlier this year, where he claimed 41 wickets in seven matches at an average of 13.56 to top the bowling charts.

“I was just trying to enjoy my cricket. I think that was the key to my success this season in the Championship. I was taking the outcome out of it and (focusing on) giving 110%. I’m a cricketer that will always give 110% when I enter the cricket field, I leave everything in the cricket field – blood, sweat, tears – and that was my trademark this season, and it paid off.”

“So, I’m really happy. I would say control, consistency, just trying to stay full at the batsman as much as possible (are my strengths). Variations, using the crease, just trying to outfox the batsman – I think that is the aim of any spinner – use angles and stuff like that,” he concluded.

–IANS

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