Since the beginning of year 2012, Marlon Samuels averages above 80 in Test cricket. In that duration he has scored a double century, two centuries and six fifties in 14 Test innings.
The West Indies opening batsman was looking good to convert one of those fifties into a hundred on Day-one of the Eden Gardens Test against India. However, a peach of a delivery from debutant Mohammad Shami left Samuels ‘shattered’ as he walked back with 65 runs to his credit.
After the day’s play, on which the visitors were bundled out for 234 and the Indian openers were still at the crease with the score of 37, Samuels spoke to bcci.tv about where his team went wrong and how the Indian bowlers changed the game. He also told us the biggest reason for his disappointment at getting out.
You' been in some blistering form since 2012. Is this the best you’ve batted in Test cricket so far?
Oh, it’s since 2011 (Laughs). When you play a format consistently, you learn a lot about it spending hours in the middle. Because I have batted a lot in Tests since the last couple of years, my batting is coming well together. Most importantly it is because I love batting in Tests.
This is where you scored your first Test century, in 2002, and you looked good for another one today. Disappointed to miss out?
I was very disappointed, manly because Sachin was on the field and I couldn’t get yet another hundred in front of him. He is the greatest cricketer to have ever played cricket and my idol. I am shattered to have missed out on scoring a century today. I am sure he is enjoying himself right now but we will try to get him out early. I don’t mind him scoring a little 20 (smiles cheekily). We don’t have plenty of runs on the board and we have to play very hard from here.
Talk about that ball from Shami that got you out. Were you surprised by the pace and the in-swing?
Most definitely, I was. I pushed a couple of balls with confidence before that and didn’t know what to expect when the ball had been changed (because the old one was lost). As soon as the ball was changed, it was literally, a different ball-game after that.
How do you rate the debutant?
This is the first time I really faced him so there’s not much I can read into things. But he is young, quick and brings a freshness that cricket always wants. I saw him bowl a few in-swingers early on and then he bowled some fine out-swingers. I think the young man’s future is really bright.
The last time WI came here, you guys put up wonderful fight despite losing the series. Are you much more confident as a team this time?
Yes, we are. Beating India in India is never easy and the last time we came here, the effort was wonderful. I believe that we have grown from strength to strength after that and we are looking to putting all that effort and more again this time.
The second session is generally the best for batting. Do you think you guys let the game slip away by losing that chunk of wickets between lunch and tea?
Yes, we did. We lost too many wickets in the second session. After the first two wickets fell we needed somebody to stay in there and build a partnership with Shiv (Chanderpaul) to take us through to the end of day. But we lost five wickets in the second session which were far too many.
