Pollard: India didn't do well in South Africa, will have work cut out

West Indies captain Kieron Pollard said all his 15 players are available for selection ahead of the first ODI against India on Sunday.

West Indies captain Kieron Pollard inspects the pitch during a training session ahead of the first ODI against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The West Indies team reached Ahmedabad earlier this week, but it had its first and only full-fledged training session on Saturday, on the eve of its first ODI against India.

Captain Kieron Pollard said all the 15 players are available for selection and also admitted that touring India is a challenge. “We will see what is the best combination and try to come up with the best resources we have. Touring India is always going to be difficult. We need to focus on what we want to do and share the information among ourselves,” Pollard said.

“It’s an opportunity to test our skills and coming up against a formidable opposition. The last time we were here, we did okay. We didn’t win the series but we pushed them. It’s time to get one step further.”

The last time West Indies toured India in 2019, it lost the three-match ODI and T20 series. But this time around, with India resting its top pacers and some of the key players, who are down with COVID-19, the Windies have a chance of making an impact.

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“We are on a level-playing field. We can’t control who they want to rest and the pandemic has thrown these various challenges. It’s not about who is the favourite. We just need to focus on what we need to do,” he said.

India, playing its 1000th ODI, will be led by Pollard’s Mumbai Indians teammate Rohit Sharma. “Obviously, Rohit is a good person. He knows how to lead. He will be coming (up) with his own plans and the way that he wants to play, and the way he wants the team (to) play. So, that will be a learning for them as well because yes, you have captained a couple of games but when you are a full-time captain, I think that is something sort-of different,” Pollard said.

“They (India) didn’t do too well in South Africa, and with all the other things on the outside, they will have their work cut out. But for us, it is about focusing on what we can do. They will have their challenges, we will have our challenges.”