Windies 'Getting Better'

Is this the turning point?

West Indies' emphatic ten-wicket victory over India in the third Cable & Wireless Test yesterday has triggered renewed optimism among fans, but the team management doesn't want to get too carried away.

What coach Roger Harper was prepared to admit was that there had been signs of development.

This team has been growing for a while. Obviously, to members of the media and the West Indian cricket-loving public, not as fast as we would like, but I think the signs were there, Harper said

I think we are still turning the corner. I wouldn't say we have arrived yet, but I think this team is getting better and better.

This match was one in which the West Indies outplayed India from the first bell when Mervyn Dillon bowled Shiv Sunder Das. They never once lost the grip and went on to win by one of their biggest margins in recent times.

We've had victories before. I don't think we should get carried away with this one, Hooper said.

We've still got another two Test matches to play. We want to enjoy the moment. We've worked hard for it. In a couple days' time, we'll resume again in Antigua. We have got to enjoy this one and still remain focused for the job on hand.

Hooper added that it was one of the few matches when West Indies bowled and batted as a unit.

After rolling over India for 102 on the opening day, they responded with 394 and then restricted India to 296 in the second innings.

The good thing about this Test match was that the victory was convincing. We totally outplayed India in every department, Hooper said.

We should take the same thing into Antigua. The thing we've got to caution against is that it is a new Test match. It starts from scratch again.

There have been numerous times in the past when we've started to play well and we went from having a good Test match and played poorly.

Harper was pleased with the fielding and the work of the quartet of fast bowlers in light of the fact that West Indies had conceded six totals of more than 450 in their previous nine matches.

All the bowlers in the team are aware of the fact that we've been bowling wicket-taking deliveries, but in between those deliveries, we've been giving away too many boundaries, the coach said.

This is an area we have focused on as a team and try to put it right. It is good to see the team going out there and executing.