AHMEDABAD, India — West Indies Test captain Roston Chase has lamented yet another batting breakdown after his team suffered a crushing innings and 140-run defeat to India inside three days at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
The visitors were swept aside for 162 and 146, failing to mount any resistance as India’s imposing first-innings total of 448 for five declared—anchored by centuries from Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, and KL Rahul—paved the way for an emphatic victory.
No West Indies batter managed to reach 40 in either innings, and for Chase, that statistic summed up the story.
“Obviously, we had a poor batting display, and this is something that has been plaguing us for the past two series,” the skipper admitted in the post-match press conference. “We’ve not been able to bat at least 80 overs, bat a day, or even get 250 or 300 runs on the board. Anytime you win a toss in a Test match and bat and you don’t bat out the first day, you’re always going to be behind the eight ball.”
‘We never put partnerships together’
Chase said the inability to build partnerships once again proved the team’s undoing.
“We didn’t start well and we never really put any partnerships in place,” he conceded. “We never really got back into the game, we never put those partnerships together, and we paid for it.”
While acknowledging India’s superior Test pedigree, Chase was adamant that conditions were no excuse for the West Indies’ struggles.
“In the table, obviously, they are ranked higher than us, so they’re supposed to be a stronger team, but I think we could have done better,” he said. “I don’t think that the wicket was one we should have been bowled out on twice for under 200 or 250. I think it was a pitch where we could have at least gotten 300 runs in the first innings. It was a very good batting wicket.”
No regrets over toss decision
Despite coming under scrutiny for choosing to bat first, Chase stood by his call, insisting the surface offered enough to justify the decision.
“I don’t think the decision was a bad one,” he explained. “We saw the wicket and, although it had a bit of moisture, we still thought it was a good wicket to bat first on. We felt that once the openers got through that early moisture, it would become a really good pitch to bat on—as we saw later in the day.”
The West Indies, however, failed to capitalize, undone by soft dismissals and poor shot selection.
“I just think it’s a case where our defense needs to be a bit tighter,” Chase observed. “I find that we gifted some of the wickets too easily. There was some rough, and a few balls spun out of it, but there weren’t any devils in the wicket. It was a surface you could stand up and bat on, as shown by the Indian batters.”
A call for greater discipline and trust
Looking ahead to the second Test in New Delhi on Friday, Chase called for his batters to show greater patience and belief in their technique.
“I think we need to trust our defense a bit more,” he said. “I can’t say that we weren’t scoring, because the run rate was still good, but I just think we need to be a little more solid in our defense.”
The captain’s frustration mirrored that of West Indies supporters who have watched a familiar pattern unfold in recent tours — fleeting promise undone by fragile batting. With another daunting contest looming, Chase hopes lessons are finally learned.
