October 6, 2025

Ahmedabad was no picnic for the West Indies cricket team as India thrashed them by an innings and 140 runs in just over two and a half days at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The skipper, Roston Chase, looked downcast and struggled to find words during his post-match talk. This was their fourth defeat in a row and fifth loss in six Test matches in 2025. But this isn't just about poor skills, Chase believes something bigger is at play. “I think the systems in the Caribbean are a bit poor in terms of training facilities and stuff,” said Chase. But he was quick to add, "I still think that the onus is on the players to find some way to churn up runs and wickets.” When pressed for more details, he opened up about money troubles back home: “There is a struggle in the Caribbean for finances. So whatever help we can get, if they are planning to get the help, I hope that we do get it so that we could strengthen the infrastructure for cricket.” Before even landing in India, the West Indies team was crippled as two key fast bowlers, Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, got injured and were ruled out. An urgent call was sent to veteran allrounder Jason Holder, but he refused due to a medical procedure.-Star players like Nicholas Pooran have retired from Test cricket, focusing only on the lucrative T20 leagues. These problems urgently need fixing if West Indies cricket wants to shine again. Chase remained calm and realistic, saying, “A guy is going to try to earn his living,” about players choosing to rest or skip formats. “One thing I can say is that there’s a lot more cricket being played. There’s not a lot of rest for a player, especially if he’s playing all formats of the game.” He added that players must stay fit despite heavy schedules and that sometimes picking formats carefully would help the team. One big cricketing challenge, Chase explained, is the poor quality of pitches back home. “The pitches in the Caribbean are not really batsman-friendly. So guys don’t really bat for long periods and score those big scores. And then, too, the outfields in the Caribbean are really slow.” He gave an eye-opening example — in the recent series against Australia, no batter even crossed 100 runs in three matches! On his decision to bat first in Ahmedabad, Chase defended the choice: “the pitch had no devils in it.” But poor batting performances, scoring only 162 and 146 runs in the two innings, showed how tough it was. “Anytime you win a toss in a Test and bat and you don’t bat out the first day, you’re always going to be in trouble,” he said. West Indies cricket faces a perfect storm: weak financial backing, injuries, player choices, and poor training facilities. Will the Caribbean islands rise again? Only time will tell!

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Tags: West indies cricket, Roston chase, India vs west indies, Cricket test match, Training facilities, Player fitness,