HYDERABAD, India – West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has called for his troops to be more consistent in the Powerplay ahead of their crucial fourth T20I against India here on Wednesday.
Daren SammyFollowing their 14-run defeat in Sunday’s third T20I, which gave India a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, the West Indies are now faced with a must-win scenario at the Rajiv Ghandi International Stadium.
Speaking during a pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Sammy said the deciding factor in the last match was India’s performance in the Powerplay
He said even though the Windies’ bowlers were able to restrict the home side’s batters to under 10 runs an over for 14 overs of the match, India was still able to post a competitive total because they bludgeoned 87 runs from the first six overs.
“I thought the difference in the game that prevented us from going 2-1 up in the series was the Powerplay. Minus the Powerplay, we restricted India under 10 [runs an over] in the other three phases; 7-10, 11-15 and then in the backend.
“But they did so much damage up front in the Powerplay where they went almost 14 and a half runs an over, that kind of gave them the cushion. So even though we bowled them out, they got a total that was defendable,” Sammy explained.
“When we look at the series, our batting has matched them. We’ve definitely out-sixed them in the games, so for us it’s about controlling that Powerplay because so far, we’ve been having to pull back the game every single time. So controlling that Powerplay is an area that we could work on, and we’ve seen that once outside the Powerplay we find ways to keep the scoring down.
“Sometimes on a surface, if it’s a 220 wicket then you know its 11-runs an over, so if you’re going at 10 it’s still good on the surface. So I think it’s an area we really have to start well and to beat India in India you really have to win both Powerplays with bat and with ball,” he added.
