Perth: The fast, bouncy WACA pitch and fearsome West Indies batsman Chris Gayle were the two main talking points for India ahead of their Cricket World Cup Pool B match against the Caribbean side here on Friday.
As the wicket is considered a heaven for pacers, the West Indies attack is likely to be deadly, while India are hoping off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who generated bounce and turn against in their weekend win against the UAE, will do the job for them.
Ashwin took 4 for 25 on Saturday and, when he appeared before the media on Thursday, said: “It’s quite heartening to get wickets. It is always good to be amongst the wickets and performing well. It gives you a lot of confidence.
“But in terms of preparation for the [West Indies] game, it’s going to be the same. We prepare for every other team like we prepare for the big teams. It’s not going to be different for the West Indies. We are pretty confident about executing our skills tomorrow [Friday].”
When West Indies skipper Jason Holder was asked about the role of the pitch, he said: “The conditions here seem to be favourable for the pacers.
“Traditionally the WACA has presented a lot of bumps and pits. I’ve played here before and I’ve enjoyed the conditions here. I’m sure tomorrow will be no exception to that.
“But, having said that, you still have to use the conditions in your favour to win the match. I think it’s important that you just hit your good areas. The more good balls you string together, the better off you’ll be in the game.”
Gayle, for his part, showed just how dangerous he can be in this format when he smashed a World Cup record score of 215 — including 16 sixes — in his side’s win over Zimbabwe earlier in the tournament.
When Ashwin was asked whether he has a plan against Gayle, he said: “It’s not just Chris Gayle, be it any other batsman in world cricket. Anybody who attacks and wants to put you off your hook, my approach will be similar.
“I am strongly for getting the wicket of any batsman I think is dangerous. I like to throw myself in the middle and try to see how much I can make an impact in that particular game. Be it Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers or anybody. I look to get them out in the middle. Once you get them out, the game is going to go our way.”
The West Indies badly need to win this match to keep their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive and would want not only Gayle but their whole team to click against the in-form Indians.
“They have good players and players that are in form,” Holder admitted. “Virat [Kohli] has been phenomenal for them and they have Shikhar Dhawan who has been in some form. Then you have players like [Suresh] Raina and MS Dhoni, but cricket is played on that day and I back my bowlers to execute their plans.”
Holder then went on to name the other players in his team who can make the difference against India and that the absence of the injured Darren Bravo, who has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament, will not be a problem.
“If you look at our matches, we’ve gone in excess of 300 runs on three or four occasions. Each game somebody has stepped up and taken the mount for themselves,” Holder said.
“We have Marlon Samuels who has done a good job, and Jonathan Carter who is coming into his own. Darren [Bravo] is obviously missed, but I don’t think it’s a big hole left in the team. We have guys to fit the bill.”
