WI team beginning to reach potential: Harper

Coach Roger Harper said his team was slowly reaching its full potential after West Indies beat India by 10 wickets in the third Test to level the five-match series 1-1 on Sunday.

The victory was the first in nine matches for West Indies, which had lost six out of seven Tests coming into the game at the Kensington Oval.

"This team is getting better and better," Harper said. "We're not far from being the sort of quality side we want this team to be."

He said the side had faced rough times but had finally turned a corner.

"I think this team has been going for a while. Obviously, for the media and West Indies cricket loving public not as fast as we would have liked, but the signs are good now."

Harper, a former off-spinner, praised his bowlers for bundling India out for 102 in the first innings to set up the win.

"All credit to the bowlers, especially to Mervyn Dillon on the first morning," Harper said.

Dillon captured four wickets in each innings to walk away with the man-of-the-match award.

"He really tore the heart of the Indian batting early and turned the game for West Indies. Then all the batsmen did well, put up a big first innings total of 394 on the board, to put us in total control."

India were restricted to 296 in their second innings, leaving the West Indies to knock off just five for victory.

CONVINCING WIN

Captain Carl Hooper, who scored 115 for his second century of the series, said it had been one of the rare Tests where the team played as a unit.

"The good thing about this Test match is that the verdict was convincing," Hooper said.

"We outplayed India in every department of the game, which was good to see."

But the 35-year-old cautioned against complacency going into the next Test, which starts in Antigua on May 10.

"I think we should take the same spirit to Antigua but the only caution is that it will be a new Test and there've been numerous times in the past when we've come from having a good Test match to playing poorly.

"We've got to be careful, guard against complacency and do well again."

India won the second Test at Port of Spain by 37 runs last month and Hooper said that match had given West Indies the belief that they could beat India.

"The game in Trinidad was much closer, maybe we should have won that game. We knew that even though we lost we were very capable of beating the Indians."

Hooper said he expected the selectors to take an unchanged team into the fourth Test, though opening batsmen Chris Gayle and Stuart Williams were struggling.

"They have obviously not done too well in this series, but I still have a lot of faith in Stuart Williams and Chris Gayle," Hooper said.

"It's up to the selectors who to pick for the next Test, but it can be hard to change a winning team."

Mail Cricket Editor