West Indies vice-captain Jomel Warrican defended his team’s decision to bat first on a seam-friendly surface in the first Test against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The visiting side could only manage 162. Seam-bowling all-rounder Justin Greaves top-scored with 32. There was assistance for the pacers, and Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah exploited the conditions, sharing seven wickets between them.
“Obviously, we knew the wicket would turn a lot here, so we didn’t want to bat last on this surface. So, once we won the toss, as a team we decided to bat,” Warrican said at the press conference.
In response to the West Indies’ first-innings total, India reached 121/2. With the home team trailing by 41 runs, Warrican encouraged his bowlers to find a way to take wickets while remaining ‘extremely disciplined’.
“Well, discipline is the key here right now. Obviously, our first-innings total was not a big one, so we have to be extremely disciplined as a bowling unit. We’re going to stick to our plans for as long as possible, and just continue encouraging each other and stay positive. We will try to find a method to take wickets, but not over-attack. We need to put the ball in good areas and take our chances when they come,” he added.
While the West Indies will be eyeing eight wickets, India, on the other hand, will be looking to build a big first-innings lead. KL Rahul (53*) will resume on Day 2 alongside Shubman Gill (18*).
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