Victory over India in the third and final One-Day International series decider at Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on Tuesday would do a “world of good” for West Indies cricket.
So said maroon right-handed batsman Keacy Carty at Monday’s pre-match press conference at the Queen’s Park Oval, St Clair.
Carty (48 n.o) was instrumental in helping his team level the series 1-1 on Saturday, as he rallied to the end with skipper Shai Hope (63 n.o), to give the hosts a resounding six-wicket victory over the visitors.
The welcome result now provides West Indies with a rare chance of clinching an ODI series win over India, for the first time in over 16 years. This, Carty said, would help shed a positive light on the Caribbean team which has been in a downward spiral over the past year.
The mood in the camp is good heading into Tuesday’s decider.
“We’re in good spirits. It’s been a while since we’ve beaten India in an ODI series so we’re just going into the next game strong to close out the series.
“It would send a good message, coming from Zimbabwe, which was disappointing. If we can beat a team like India, it would do the world of good for us. We’re trying to go into the last game with a good mindset and try to close off the series,” Carty said.
Together with Hope, the pair constructed a match-winning 91-run partnership to see West Indies over the line in the second ODI.
That match was Carty’s 15th appearance in ODIs for the West Indies as compared to his skipper’s 117th. Carty however, praised the confidence and reassurance shared by his captain, which played an integral role in helping him be more comfortable at the crease en route to victory.
“It’s always good to score runs, runs give you confidence. I’m glad I was there to finish the job for the team and it was a good win for us.
“He (Hope) generally doesn’t complicate things so he just told me to keep it simple, keep rotating the strike and keep backing our skills because we prepared well, so it was just a matter of going out there and getting the job done,” Carty added.
Additionally, Guyanese batsman Shimron Hetmyer is still yet to get going with the bat this series and is hoping for a better performance on Tuesday. In both ODI’s, “Hetty” scored 11 and nine runs respectively.
Before his return for India’s tour, he hadn’t played for the team in almost a year. He was pleased to be back in maroon colours.
“It’s nice to be back in (the squad). I just want to continue to do the same thing I would have done from inception, which is try to put the bowlers under pressure and try to give my team a decent score or chase down the runs as fast as possible.”
Hetmyer believes this current crop of players is eager to succeed for the region and a series win would bolster their confidence moving forward.
“We have a very good and eager group of guys that want to do well for West Indies which is really good. It’s just for us to continue to build from strength to strength.
“The last game is one of those instances where we pulled ourselves together wi
