Windies need to avoid losing wickets in clusters, says Rampaul

West Indies bowling coach Ravi Rampaul wants his pedigreed willow-wielders to bat long and avoid sudden collapses.

“Definitely, rotation of strike [is needed]. Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer are really good players of spin bowling. When they bat through the middle, we have put up big totals. So, the onus is on our better batters of spin to bat long,” Rampaul said on the eve of Friday’s second T20I against India at the JSCA Stadium.

In the series opener, the visitors went from 38 for no loss to 44 for three, and from 107 for three to 135 for eight, ultimately costing them the game.

“It’s something that has plagued us in the past… losing wickets in clusters, and it happened again. When that happens, we struggle a little bit in the middle.”

Rampaul conceded that his bowling unit still lacked international experience.

“Definitely, if you look at our T20 group, it’s a young bowling line-up. The guys haven’t played many T20Is. Sometimes, it could be a little bit frustrating when we come up with plans, and then they fail to execute… it just boils down to the experience of the bowling group”.