Kingston, June 24 (Inditop.com) West Indies coach John Dyson said his resurgent team will be more dangerous at home turf and will play an aggressive brand of cricket in the One-day seeries against India starting Friday.
Dyson said they have chalked out strategies to tackle key Indian players, though he admitted the new members in the side could spring a surprise.
India would take field in the first of the four ODIs at Sabina Park here Friday, with key players like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan missing from the series.
“We will play aggressive cricket, we will play to win as always, and we will aim for consistency of performance,” Dyson was quoted in the media here Wednesday.
“The players love the sunshine on their back, they like the warmer temperature, the local food. Of course, they like being home. They missed their families while they were away in England and getting back to the Caribbean will suit them down to the ground,” said the former Australian Test opener.
West Indies are high on form and confidence after reaching the semi-final of the World Twenty20 in England. Skipper Chris Gayle led the side from the front with some smashing knocks as West Indies demolished Australia in the group stage and then went on to upset India and England in the Super Eights to become surprise semifinalists before falling to Sri Lanka.
In contrast, pre-tournament favourties India were knocked out after losing all three matches in the Super Eights. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team faced a lot of criticism back home as reports of an unfit and tired squad playing in England made headlines.
Both England and West Indies used the short ball to good advantage against the top-order Indian batsmen in the World Twenty20.
Dyson said they are ready with a plan to combat the Indians.
“We always look at the opposition and try and determine who the key players are for the opposition and think of ways that we may combat those key players. What we don’t know, of course, is from the lower-profile players, how they are going to perform and perform consistently throughout a series. So that’s something we have to monitor as the series progresses.”
He said the West Indies have a balanced side.
“The squad’s balanced fairly well. If you look at the possible side that could walk on the field, we’ve got an extra batsman, we have an all-rounder who is also a very good batsman, (we have) normal pace and reserve pace, which is good. In the spin department, hopefully Chris (Gayle) will be providing back-up to Sulieman Benn,” he said.
Dyson, however, said the outcome of the series will depend on the how the pitches played.
“It depends on the sort of wickets we’re playing on, on the conditions of the day, and the form our own players are in, and the opposition players are in.
Dyson said his team is enjoying the game at the moment.
“There is a lot of cricket in any calendar year for cricketers, but that’s what professional cricket’s about. They have a lot of cricket to play. They earn good money from playing cricket and it’s part of the job,” Dyson said.
rounak