Sammy blames poor batting for first Test defeat

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

West Indies skipper Darren Sammy bemoaned the poor batting display of his team as they went down by 63 runs to India in the first Test at Sabina park yesterday.

Addressing the media shortly after the end the of match, Sammy pointed out that he believes the team's batting has not been up to par.

"Surely, by now as a batting unit we know we are way behind the eight ball," Sammy declared. "For us as a batting unit it hasn't come off, but I still believe the guys are trying hard."

He added: "It is about being more mentally focused when you are out there in the middle and doing whatever it takes to put your team in a good position."

The two teams will now turn their attention to the second of three Tests which will bowl off in Barbados on June 28. On this occasion, Sammy is hoping that the batsmen will give a much improved showing.

"The way the bowlers have performed, if we could put good totals on the board or chase down totals we know we stand a very good chance of coming back and levelling the series," Sammy explained. "We just still have to be positive; it is a three-Test series, so when we go to Barbados we have to pick ourselves up," he added.

When quizzed about the likely impact that Christopher Gayle would have had at the top of the order, Sammy was coy in his response.

"The batting has not been the problem only in this series, it has been plaguing us for the last 10 years," Sammy reminded. "I think whoever is picked to represent the West Indies, if you are a batsman, the onus is on you to put your team in good positions where runs are concerned," he added.

Holding on to key catches

In addition to an improved batting performance by the team, Sammy has vowed to hold on to key catches in the future.

"We know where we went wrong, we need to correct the batting and I won't drop Dravid again, and we shouldn't be under pressure to win the next Test," Sammy shared.

The victory in the opening Test marks the first time that India are achieving such a feat in the Caribbean. However, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, captain of the Indian team, is not preoccupied with going on and winning the series, but is more concerned about his team showing constant improvement.

"We are not thinking about the results, as to we want to win the series," Dhoni expressed. "What we want to do is to stick to the basics and do the small things right, and we know if we keep doing the small things right, results and all will take care of themselves," he added.