West Indies captain Shai Hope acknowledged that playing India in their own conditions will be a major challenge but encouraged his team to embrace the opportunity as they get ready for a three-match ODI series beginning Sunday.
Hope will captain a West Indies squad combining experienced campaigners with promising young players, as the visitors aim to end their long wait for an ODI series victory in India.
"Playing India in their backyard is always a challenge. It's one that we definitely need to grasp and embrace. It's a great indicator for us to see where we are as a team," Hope said during the pre-match press conference.
"But it's something that we always look forward to when you're playing international cricket. You want to play against the best in their home conditions, and you get the real test. So, we're definitely looking forward to it, and it's going to be an exciting one for us," he added.
Hope is well aware of what it takes to score against India. The 32-year-old has accumulated 988 runs in 26 ODIs against them at an average of 47, including three centuries and five half-centuries.
His numbers in India are even more impressive. Hope has made 741 runs in 14 ODIs in the country at an average of 74.1, with three hundreds and three fifties.
Asked about his strong record against India, Hope attributed it largely to his ability to adjust to varying conditions.
"I pride myself a lot on trying to be the best I can be. One of those things, you have to be able to adapt to different conditions, and play against different oppositions. It's not always going to work out. Every day is not going to be your day.
"But I really try to focus on the fine details to give myself the best chance to score runs. Here in India, you're going to play differently as if you're going to in Australia, or even back in the Caribbean. It's just about being very critical with the way you go about your training and preparation.
"That's something I always try to put up there in the team rooms whenever we have our chats and discussions. Hopefully, some of the guys will never be here before, and get a good start to their Indian career. This is one tour you look forward to. When I was younger in my career, it was a tour I was expecting a lot from myself," he added.
West Indies last won an ODI series in India in 2002, when Carl Hooper's team defeated India 4-3 in a seven-match contest.
Hope feels that the lengthy wait could give his players additional motivation.
"The harsh reality is that almost every series that we go into, those stats are always at the top of the list. We always say we haven't beaten this team in 20 years or 15 years. It will definitely be adding motivation.
"We know it's going to be a tough battle, but we're looking forward to this one," he said.
Hope also expressed confidence in West Indies' spin department, with Roston Chase, Gudakesh Moti and Vitel Lawes among the options available for the tour.
"The spinners that we have on this tripthe experience of Ross then and Moti, they have played quite a few games, and they have a big impact for West Indies over the last few years. Obviously, Lawes is coming into the game, like he's been shown what he's capable of at this level.
"So, it's a great indication that he can continue along those lines. But I expect him to keep growing as a left-arm spinner, as a wrist spinner, and he can be an asset for us going forward. We are leaning on them here," Hope concluded.
