'We need to bat longer,' says WI coach Ravi Rampaul
What's the story
Ahead of the second T20I against India, West Indies bowling coach Ravi Rampaul has stressed the need for his players to bat longer and steer clear of sudden collapses. In the first match of the series, the visitors suffered a major collapse from 38 for no loss to 44 for three and later from 107 for three to 135 for eight. This ultimately cost them the game. Here's more.
Strategy
Rampaul emphasizes strike rotation for middle order
Rampaul stressed on the importance of rotating the strike, especially with players like Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer in the team.
"Definitely, rotation of strike [is needed]. Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer are really good players of spin bowling. When they bat through the middle, we have put up big totals," said Rampaul to the media.
The coach wants his top spin batters to play longer innings to avoid sudden collapses.
Experience gap
Inexperienced bowling attack for West Indies
Rampaul also acknowledged that his bowling unit lacks international experience.
He said, "Definitely, if you look at our T20 group, it's a young bowling line-up. The guys haven't played many T20Is. Sometimes, it could be a little bit frustrating when we come up with plans and then they fail to execute...it just boils down to the experience of the bowling group."
Team changes
India's batting lineup faces selection dilemma
Meanwhile, India's batting lineup also faces a selection dilemma with Sanju Samson's recent performances.
The team management is considering pairing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi with opener Abhishek Sharma for better results.
India will also look at changes in their pace-bowling combination after Mayank Yadav's poor outing in the first T20I.
Batting strategy
West Indies rely on established T20 players for improvement
The West Indies, on the other hand, will have to improve their batting performance to effectively take on a strong Indian side.
Their lineup is full of established T20 players like Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Roston Chase, and Romario Shepherd.
The team hopes that a total exceeding 220 could provide them with a solid platform to defend against India.