Sammy hopes West Indies to emulate New Zealand’s success in India

West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has backed his seam attack to make a serious impact on the upcoming two-Test tour of India, insisting that the group has the variety, skill, and confidence to “operate in any conditions” and, crucially, to “pick 20 wickets.”

The touring pace battery will be led by Alzarri Joseph and rising star Shamar Joseph, with Anderson Phillip and Jayden Seales offering further options, while all-rounder Justin Greaves adds balance. The West Indies last won a Test series in India back in 1983, but Sammy believes the example set by New Zealand, who stunned India 3-0 late last year, offers a template worth following.

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“We have found ourselves in a position where our seam attack could operate in any conditions,” Sammy said at a press conference. “That six-to-eight-metre length works across the world. But in our fast-bowling department, we’ve got four different guys who have their own variety.”

“You have Shamar Joseph, who’s very skiddy, and Jayden, who has a strong front leg and can swing the ball both ways, then you have Alzarri Joseph with his height and the bounce he could extract. So, again, we take confidence in that, especially the way they’ve been bowling over the last year. The ability to take 20 wickets, because that’s what you will need in India. If you can’t take 20 wickets in India, you are on the back foot, and we have a bowling line-up that, especially from the seam department, could take 20 wickets,” the former skipper added.

Sammy explained that the fundamentals of Test bowling don’t change, but execution will be key.

“The process remains the same. The lines and lengths don’t change in terms of that six-to-eight-metre length. Maybe it’s just adjusting whether it’s a touch fuller or a touch further back into the pitch. I have full confidence in that, and it makes me smile knowing that we go out bowling and we take 20 wickets. And that’s the first objective in the Test match,” he said.

The coach, currently also leading the St Lucia Kings in the CPL, revealed that he had spent the last six weeks working closely with Test captain Roston Chase during the franchise season, discussing plans and strategy for India.

“Our attempt will be to continue instilling that belief matched up by the work we put in to bring the technical aspects of the game up to where we could compete and win matches,” Sammy said.

He emphasised that selection had been carefully thought through, using “a lot of data” to finalise the squad. “From my end, in the ten days leading up to the [first] Test match [in India], we’ll be drilling in all these things and planning very well as to how we’re going to beat India in India,” he said.

“We’re definitely going down there with the mindset to win. We’re not just going to go down there and think, ‘oh, it’s India’. No. New Zealand went there and did incredibly well, and we should take inspiration from that. But again, it’s understanding the things that New Zealand did in those conditions and trying to emulate it with our guys as well.”

The squad announcement did throw up some bold calls. Former captain Jason Holder was considered but overlooked, with Sammy saying, “The role that we’d love for him to play is being played by Justin Greaves.”

The selectors also made the big call to drop long-time opener and captain Kraigg Brathwaite. In his place, Tagenarine Chanderpaul has been recalled, alongside Alick Athanaze.

The spin department, meanwhile, features Jomel Warrican, uncapped Khary Pierre, and Chase. Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie has been rested with workload management in mind after a busy CPL season and with the T20 World Cup looming.

The first of the two-Test series between India and the West Indies will start on October 2, while the second Test will begin on October 10.