Ahmedabad, Oct 4 (IANS) West Indies captain Roston Chase believes that the team must work hard on their batting, especially if they’re playing on Indian soil, where putting up a big total on the board is crucial. Notably, India beat the Windies by an innings and 140 runs on Day 3 of the first Test in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

The Indian bowlers, led by Mohammed Siraj, put on a brilliant performance in the first innings as the visitors were bundled out for a paltry 162 runs. The Indian batters dominated the show next as KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja notched up tons to bat throughout Day 2 before declaring at 448/5 at the start of Day 3.

Speaking during the post-match presentation, Chase said:

“Obviously when you win the toss and bat and get bowled out for 162, it’s going to be tough to come back from that and it’s not the kind of performance we were looking forward to. We have to bat better, especially in India you have to put up a big first innings total on the board with the ball spinning and pitch deteriorating as the game goes on.”

Asked if they should have opted to bowl first after winning the toss, the Windies skipper added:

“No problem with the decision, everybody wanted to bat first. There was some moisture but we had to play past that.”

Asked about the delayed decision to take the second new ball during India’s batting innings, he stated:

“I didn’t think the timing was off. I think when we did take it, we didn’t make the batsmen play enough. We needed to test them more. Batting is the main problem. Batsmen needed to form partnerships and we didn’t even get a fifty-run stand and in cricket you need partnerships, whether you’re batting or bowling.”

India lead the two-match series 1-0, with the second and final Test scheduled to begin at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on October 10.

— IANS

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