MUMBAI, India, CMC – West Indies captain Darren Sammy said his team ‘never showed up’ for the Test series against India following an innings and 126-run defeat yesterday.
The match, which also brought an end to the illustrious career of batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, was almost identical results from the first Test which they lost by an inning and 51 runs in Kolkata.
“It is very disappointing. We never turned up in the series,” he said after India won the Mumbai Test by an innings and 126 runs. “We came here on the back of six Test victories against, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Zimbabwe. But coming here really taught us a lesson and exposed us. It told us how far we are behind the top four teams in the world. We have just not turned up,” Sammy said.
He said they have been taught a lesson for the next test series against New Zealand following the One-Day series against India.
“I was speaking to a good friend of mine and he summed it up very well. He said to me, ‘we knew you were coming here for a celebration and you only brought gifts’. That is what we did. In Rohit’s (Sharma) debut Test series we gifted him two centuries. Mohammed Shami made his debut and his gifts were gifts, 11 wickets in the series.
“I personally have been very disappointed not just for me, but for the team as well. It is a good lesson for us as we go down to New Zealand where we play our next Test series and there we have got to bounce back,” he said.
The Windies captain, in a tribute to Tendulkar, praised the Indian star for his contribution to world cricket over a span of 24 years. He said his team has utmost respect for Tendulkar.
“Tendulkar is the all-round person – all-round cricketer and the ultimate sportsman. As an opponent, when you hear of Sachin your shoulders tend to drop. As a team-mate probably you would be so happy to be in the same team as him. World cricket, no matter which team you support, whenever Sachin is playing you have got to watch.
“What he brought to the cricket fraternity is just incredibly the best. Legends come and legends go, but cricket will surely miss Sachin. Not only in India. I don’t know how the dressing room of India would be when it is next Test match and Sachin is not in the XI. Opponents would be happy that they are not competing against Sachin. Cricket would surely miss the ambassador,” said Sammy.
The visitors formed a guard of honour when Tendulkar walked in to bat on Day-one. Sammy said there was tremendous amount of respect in the West Indian dressing room for him.
“When he came onto bat, we gave him the guard of honour. If you noticed, I took a brilliant catch to dismiss him but there was no emotion shown. That is the level of respect I have for the man. I gave no emotion because probably that was the last time the world saw him bat. We have utmost respect for Sachin. We respect what he has done for the game.
Sammy said that India has shown the world how to support their own and the legacy Sachin has left will not be forgotten.
The West Indies and India will start the first of a three-match One Day Series on Thursday.
