West Indies' secret plan to counter India's spin web in Delhi

When West Indies coach Darren Sammy arrived for his team’s training session in Delhi, do you know what he did first? He gathered all the local net bowlers and asked them, “Who among you are left-arm spinners?”

He then made them bowl long spells to the West Indies batters. The reason was clear: he wanted his team to learn how to handle India’s left-arm spinners, who had wreaked havoc in the first Test. The visitors had collapsed for just 146 in the second innings, with Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja claiming six of the ten wickets.

But while the West Indies are doing everything they can to counter India’s spin challenge, Team India isn’t taking them lightly either. In their own nets, a section was reserved exclusively for the spinners, and the four Indian tweakers bowled tirelessly for over an hour and a half.

The Indian Spin Web

So, what makes India’s spin department so fearsome? The answer is simple — variety. Jadeja and Axar Patel deliver precision with their left-arm spin, Kuldeep adds mystery with his rare chinaman craft, and Washington Sundar’s off-spin completes the perfect quartet. Together, they don’t just spin the ball; they spin a web.

West Indies woes

West Indies cricket has gone from bad to worse in recent years. They have won just 23 of their last 87 Test series, and after a defeat in the Ahmedabad Test, the Windies now stand at the cusp of another humiliating defeat.

During a recent event in India, West Indies' former captain Brian Lara said, “It (finances) is a problem because if you want to do anything, back in the day 15-16, volunteerism was a big thing. You can get things done. You can get coaches. I was coached at a Harvard coaching clinic where nobody was paid."

"So, if you want to get things done, you have to have the capital to do it. So that’s a major part. But at the same time, I would like to urge Roston Chase (West Indies captain) and the other guys to, do they have cricket at heart? Do they really want to play for the West Indies? And that’s the most important thing because you would find a way," he added. Lara said that while a lack of money is a problem, players need to show passion for playing while wearing the West Indies jersey.

He also said that even in the past, they didn’t have great facilities. Yet, legends like him and Viv Richards played with passion.

"Lara said, “I mean, we did not have better facilities 30-40 years ago. Viv Richards didn’t bat on any better practice pitches or anything. We had to do the same thing, the same grind, but the passion was different. The passion to play for the West Indies was different. So, I urge the young players to realise that this is a wonderful opportunity," he concluded.

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