New Delhi: Former India captain Anil Kumble believes India could have applied “a little more pressure” on the West Indies batters on a docile Arun Jaitley Stadium pitch, even as the hosts remain on the brink of sealing a 2-0 series win.
“What India could have done better was to put a little more pressure on the batters,” Kumble said after day four. “The pitch was really docile. But credit to the West Indian batters as well. I know we’re looking at it from an Indian bowling perspective, but I thought the West Indies batters really applied themselves.”
Kumble revealed that he had spoken with West Indies head coach Darren Sammy before the play and credited the visitors for answering their coach’s call for application.
“I had a brief chat with Darren Sammy yesterday morning, and the first thing he said was, ‘I wish our batters could apply themselves more'. They’ve now shown the coach that they can do it. We saw that yesterday and again today. Even the tail-enders applied themselves really well. I thought the No. 10 and No. 11 batted brilliantly to frustrate the Indian bowlers. Maybe, India could have applied a bit more pressure through field placements to force mistakes.”
Kumble’s remarks came at the end of a long, grinding day for India. What initially seemed like a stroll towards a 2-0 series win turned into a test of endurance, as the hosts fielded for 200 overs since the middle of day two before being asked to chase 121. IANS
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