MUMBAI, India, CMC – Teenaged West Indies batsman Kraigg Brathwaite says the Caribbean side will be looking to bat deep into the second day in the third and final Test here, in order to put pressure on India and force a win.
West Indies made a fabulous start to the game at the Wankhede Stadium, losing just two wickets on the opening day yesterday in finishing on 267-2, after winning the toss and batting.
“Our aim is to bat the better part of two days. India batted the better part of two days in Kolkata and you see what it did for them. So we will look to do the same and play for a win,” said the 19-year-old Brathwaite who scored a typically patient 68.
He put on 137 for the first wicket with Adrian Barath who made 62, as West Indies collared India’s bowling, adding 80 before lunch.
They pushed on after the interval, mixing patience with aggression, before being separated when Barath was caught close in off off-spinner Ravi Ashwin (2-86).
“As openers we decided to look to get through the first hour without losing any wicket. We did that and from there we just said we would press on and we got a 50 partnership and then 100,” said Brathwaite.
“After lunch when we came back we thought we will give the team as best a start as possible and look to be watchful and carry on. We looked to bat time.”
For Barath, it was his second successive half-century after also getting 62 in the second innings of the last Test, in a losing cause.
He echoed similar sentiments to Brathwaite, noting the Windies would try to build on their impressive start come the second day.
“Winning the toss today was very important. We backed ourselves to post a good total and we went out with the belief that we could do the job against the Indian bowlers,” the diminutive Trinidadian said.
“We did well at the top and it is good to see we have two set batsmen, Kirk (Edwards) and Darren (Bravo) at the crease to start the second day, as we look to continue and build a sizeable score.”
West Indies will start the day with Edwards, unbeaten on 65 and Bravo, not out on 57, with the duo already having posted 117 for the third wicket.
Barath said though West Indies had already lost the series with defeats in the first and second Tests, there was still plenty self belief in the side.
“Having lost the series we knew we had to salvage something and we came out here to fight for the people of the West Indies,” he pointed out.
“We continue to believe we are doing some good things as a team. In this series people will say we have been in the shadows but we never lost faith and we kept the belief. This is the fifth Test match on a row for us, so we have treated it as a five-match series and as you can see we have been doing better with the bat.”
