Ian Bishop gives big compliment to Virat Kohli’s India ahead of West Indies series

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Former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop feels India have emerged as a better Test team when it comes to performing in foreign conditions and that’s why West Indies will find it difficult to beat the Virat Kohli-led side in the upcoming two-match Test series in August.

The Indian Test side has performed considerably well in the recent years. While their record is unmatchable at home, India have played according to their status of number one-ranked Test team in away conditions as well.

Last year, India registered their first-ever Test series win in Australia. Before that, they played well in England in the five-match series. Although, the winning margin was 1-4, signalling the series to be a one-sided affair, the rubber was closely fought between the two teams.

Bishop — a panelist of Sony Pictures — said: “India know their home conditions so well. India have become the power house that has played better overseas in recent years. They were very competitive in England last summer, defeated Australia in Australia last year for the first time. No, doubt Australia were without their two key players but that just says India were traveling better.”

The 51-year-old believes in order to challenge the Indian team in the two-Test series, Windies batters will have to score big hundreds against the bowling attack which will consist the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma.

According to Bishop, the batting of the hosts will rely on Roston Chase and Shai Hope who have been performing for the Caribbean team in Test cricket.

Hope has played 29 Tests for Windies in which he has scored 1459 runs, including two hundreds and five fifties. Chase, on the other hand, has also played the same number of matches and has amassed 1621 runs, which included five hundreds and seven fifties.

“West Indies will hope that Roston Chase, who is integral as a batsman to their course, and Shai Hope and all these guys put their foot down and say ‘ok, the pitches at home have been challenging to bat on for everyone, but we have played two seasons now on this. So, we need to start and set down marks on scoring hundreds’,” Bishop said.

India and West Indies will play three T20Is and three ODIs before beginning their ICC World Test Championship campaign from August 22.