Bowling great Ian Bishop feels India have emerged as a better Test team when it comes to performing in foreign conditions and that’s why West Indies will find it difficult to beat the Virat Kohli-led side in the upcoming two-match Test series in August.
The Indian Test side has performed considerably well in therecent years. While their record is unmatchable at home, India have playedaccording to their status of number one-ranked Test team in away conditions aswell.
Last year, India registered their first-ever Test series winin Australia. Before that, they played well in England in the five-matchseries. Although, the winning margin was 1-4, signalling the series to be aone-sided affair, the rubber was closely fought between the two teams.
Speaking to IANS, Bishop — a panelist of Sony Pictures —said: “India know their home conditions so well. India have become thepower house that has played better overseas in recent years. They were verycompetitive in England last summer, defeated Australia in Australia last yearfor the first time. No, doubt Australia were without their two key players butthat just says India were traveling better.”
The 51-year-old believes in order to challenge the Indianteam in the two-Test series, Windies batters will have to score big hundredsagainst the bowling attack which will consist the likes of Jasprit Bumrah andIshant Sharma.
According to Bishop, the batting of the hosts will rely onRoston Chase and Shai Hope who have been performing for the Caribbean team inTest cricket.
Hope has played 29 Tests for Windies in which he has scored1459 runs, including two hundreds and five fifties. Chase, on the other hand,has also played the same number of matches and has amassed 1621 runs, whichincluded five hundreds and seven fifties.
“West Indies will hope that Roston Chase, who isintegral as a batsman to their course, and Shai Hope and all these guys puttheir foot down and say ‘ok, the pitches at home have been challenging to baton for everyone, but we have played two seasons now on this. So, we need tostart and set down marks on scoring hundreds’,” Bishop said. India and West Indies will play three T20Is andthree ODIs before beginning their ICC World Test Championship campaign fromAugust 22.