India vs West Indies: We Can Learn From Indian Pacers: West Indies Bowling Coach

Corey Collymore, West Indies bowling coach, urged the bowlers to learn from the Indian bowling attack after their dismal show in the first Test at Rajkot. India have strengthened their grip on the game after reducing the visitors to 94 for 6.

The gulf in the quality of the two bowling attacks has become crystal clear inside two days. While the West Indies bowlers were sent on a leather hunt by India, their Indian counterparts have made light work of visitors’ batting lineup so far.

Given Rajkot’s recent past, it looked like the pitch had nothing for the pacers when the Indian batsmen were scoring at will.  Prithvi Shaw, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja scored centuries while Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant scored fifties as India posted a mammoth 649 for 9.

However, the bubble was soon busted when Mohammed Shami took the ball. On his eighth delivery, he found enough space between Kraigg Brathwaite’s bat and pad to castle the West Indies opener. By that time, it became clear that the visiting bowlers had erred with their line and length for almost two days. Not surprisingly, they are on the verge of suffering a heavy loss.

Speaking at the end of the day’s play, Corey Collymore said the bowlers need to take a leaf out of Indian bowlers’ book.

“From a bowling point of view, I stressed to the bowlers to have a look and see how well the Indians started. That’s something I was talking out, our starts,” said Collymore.

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India vs West Indies: We Can Learn From Indian Pacers: West Indies Bowling Coach
I stressed to the bowlers to have a look and see how well the Indians started: Corey Collymore (India vs West Indies, Credits: AP)

“If you look at yesterday (Thursday), we started too wide and too short. Sherman (Lewis) was on his debut and he is a good lad. I saw him in the U-19s and in some of the practice games and he has got a fantastic record. But to me, it’s still going to be 22 yards and the lengths don’t change. You have to be better at doing that going forward if you have to play Test match cricket better,” he added.

Collymore further shifted his focus towards the batsmen, criticising them for their recklessness against the Indian bowlers.

“(From) What I saw, it’s not what you want, especially from your top order, chasing 600-plus. These things happen in cricket. But again I hope our guys definitely learn from it. We can see how well the Indians played. They are accustomed to conditions but there’s experience and things we can learn from.”

India vs West Indies: We Can Learn From Indian Pacers: West Indies Bowling Coach
There’s experience and things we can learn from: Corey Collymore (India vs West Indies, Credits: AP)

He went on to defend the West Indies bowlers citing their inexperience.

“You have to realise again with two young gentlemen — one making debut (Lewis) and the other playing his second Test match (Keemo Paul) — they found it difficult with conditions, playing first time in India,” Collymore said.

 

“I think the sub-continent is a hard place for any fast bowler, even with experience. I think that’s the reason the captain had to rotate them a bit more today, to still give them a little bit of a chance. They were still feeling the effects from yesterday,” he added.

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West Indies ended the day on 94 for 6, trailing India by 555. Mohammed Shami removed both West Indiess openers, bowling stand-in captain Kraigg Brathwaite and trapping Kieran Powell lbw.

Shai Hope was then bowled by off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin before Shimron Hetmyer was run out in a comical fashion. Jadeja had Ambris caught at first slip and left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav knocked over Shane Dowrich’s stumps to leave the visitors on the brink of a heavy defeat.

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