The West Indies termed the ongoing two-Test series as Mission India. The clarion call, of course, extends beyond the on-field performance – it carries a broader target and ambition of reviving the glory days of West Indies cricket, attracting sponsors, building infrastructure and in short, Make West Indies Great Again (MWIGA). But everyone in West Indies cricket believes the resurrection must begin on the field.

A galaxy of legends has descended on Delhi – from Brian Lara and Viv Richards to Richie Richardson – as part of the MWIGA mission. These legends were expected to deliver a motivational talk to the Roston Chase-led side ahead of the second Test. “I think we are going to rush across to Delhi to have a little chat with the boys. You know, it’s always tough for any country to play in India and beat India. But we want to be able to be competitive. So hopefully, we can get a competitive game in the next match,” Lara said in Mumbai the other day.

After the recent string of debacles – whether in the pink-ball Test against Australia or the white-ball series against Nepal – one would have assumed things could not get worse for the Caribbean side. But the innings defeat in Ahmedabad showed that West Indies can, in fact, sink to a new low.

There was also no sign of patience or perseverance in playing out maiden overs to survive and build a long innings – a batting trait required at the Test level. They played 16 maidens across two innings, but not out of intent to block or frustrate the bowlers. The primary focus ahead of the second Test, starting Friday (October 10), is simply how many overs they will survive and how long the match will last. India will once again start as overwhelming favourites.

For the home team, it will be business as usual – maintaining their stranglehold over a side that, as West Indies coach Daren Sammy ruefully admitted, last won a series in India in 1983, the year he was born. With the Indian camp indicating no changes to the Ahmedabad XI, attention will centre on two players: Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy. The spotlight, though, is on Sudharsan, who has managed just 147 runs in seven innings and scored only seven in the first Test.

It might be a big game for the Tamil Nadu batter, although skipper Shubman Gill has backed his No. 3. “Not every match, everyone is going to score a 100. You have to give young players more opportunities. They are still trying to figure out their game. We believe you have to see someone’s potential first and then judge their game in its entirety.”