Bridgetown, Barbados – West Indies fast bowler Ravi Rampaul had another good performance on Tuesday, the opening day of the Second Digicel Test match against India.
On a Kensington Oval pitch, offering bounce and pace, Rampaul was almost unplayable in the pre-lunch session with three wickets for four runs. He ended the day with 3-38 from 16 overs as India fell for 201. He shared the spotlight with leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo and pacer Fidel Edwards, who both took three wickets.
In reply the West Indies reached 30-3 at the close. Rampaul shared his thoughts on the match so far and the tremendous improvement in his bowling in the last six months.
"I have been working hard and the aim is to improve every time I take the field. As the new ball bowler I’m always looking for early wickets and in this series, as well as the series against Pakistan earlier this year, I was able to get wickets early up and set back the opposition. I will continue to aim to get better.
"The good thing about bowling here (at Kensington Oval) is that you consistently get that extra bounce. Throughout the match you can expect to get that extra bounce. There is always something there. We knew the pitch would offer some assistance to our bowlers. When we took the field it was overcast and we got the early wickets, which always proves vital. That set India on the backfoot and we managed to get them out for just over 200. After having them four down at lunch, we thought we could get them under 200.
"They got a very good partnership from Suresh Raina and VVS Laxman, but we bowled very well. With the new ball I was running in and the ball did quite a bit and we got the results. After lunch, the pitch played really good for batting. As days go along it will become better for batting."
Looking ahead to the Windies batting on Wednesday, Rampaul added: "I always give the batsmen confidence and keep the self-belief up as any time one of them can go out there and get a hundred. I continue to believe in them and give my support. We would like to get a lead. It’s up to the batsmen to come out and start fresh. The sun will dry out the pitch and it will becomebetter for the batsmen as the day goes on."
First ball on Wednesday is 10 am (9 am Jamaica Time).