"It is about capitalising on key moments. Hopefully, we can do it in this Test and bounce back." -Photo by AP

KOLKATA: The West Indies need to win key moments in the second Test against India starting at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday in a bid to bounce back in the series, skipper Darren Sammy said.

The tourists trail 1-0 in the three-Test series following their five-wicket defeat in the opening match in New Delhi despite gaining a 95-run lead on the first innings.

“It is about capitalising on key moments. Hopefully, we can do it in this Test and bounce back. We never said it would be easy coming to India. It (winning) is difficult but not impossible,” Sammy told reporters on Sunday.

The West Indies had seized the early advantage in the last Test when they dismissed India for 209 runs after posting 304 in the first innings, but failed to cash in on it and crashed to 180 in the second innings.

“Before the start of the series we had said we would play fearless cricket.

Despite the result, we did control the first two days of the first Test,” said the West Indies captain.

“Had we batted better in the second innings it would have been a different ball game. We still have the belief that once we win the key moments of the game we can come back (in the series).”

The West Indies failed to cope with India's slow bowlers in New Delhi, with debutant off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin bagging nine wickets in the Test and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha seven.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul was the lone batsman to defy the Indian spin attack on a low, slow turning pitch, scoring 118 and 47 in the match.

The West Indies skipper said his batsmen needed to be positive against the Indian spinners and try to occupy the crease for a long time.

“We let them (Indian spinners) dictate too much to us and it took the experience of Chanderpaul to show us how to play (spin) on that pitch. We hope to take a page out of his book,” said Sammy.

“When you are positive against spin, it is effective. The team should look to do that more often and be cautious and not go into the shell.

“We will look to counter-attack, but also be more selective because it is Test cricket. We have to be prepared to bat for long periods.”

The West Indies, who played with one spinner (Devendra Bishoo) in the last Test, could name a second spinner in their playing XI as the pitch is likely to help slow bowlers.

“The track, minus the grass, looks the same as slow practice pitches here.

We will consider the option of the other spinner (Shane Shillingford) we have in the squad,” said Sammy.

“It is a wicket that will help spinners like you would expect (in India).”Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma also said the spinners are likely to play big roles on the Eden Gardens track.

“In India, we get wickets like this only, so we can't complain about these pitches,” said Sharma, the most experienced bowler in the side with 125 wickets in 39 Test matches.

“Obviously, it's a great feeling when you know that you are the most senior bowler in the Indian team.”

Ojha, Ashwin and seamer Umesh Yadav, who played in the last match, have a combined tally of only 14 Tests.

Meanwhile, India’s Ishant Sharma is relishing the task of leading his team’s pace attack against West Indies in the absence of the injured Zaheer Khan, the 23-year-old paceman said.

“It's an honour when you see yourselves as the senior-most bowler in the team and leading the attack. It's difficult to express this kind of feeling actually,” Sharma said on the eve of the second test in Kolkata.

Frontline seamer Zaheer needed surgery for ankle and hamstring problems and has yet to make a comeback since his tour of England was cut short due to injury.

The lanky Sharma, with 39 tests under his belt, has Umesh Yadav, who debuted in Delhi last week, and Varun Aaron, uncapped in tests, as his fellow pacemen.

Sharma himself suffered an ankle ligament injury in the third test against England in Birmingham in August, which ruled him out of the ODI series that followed. He said he had recovered well.

“I don't need any surgery now. I have been having treatment at the National Cricket Academy and I have been training a lot when I was not playing,” he said.

“I've been working a lot on my ankle and everything. I am fit now and I am ready to play in Australia, and I don't think even after the Australia tour I will need surgery.”

India will play four tests in Australia in December and January, followed by two Twenty20 internationals and a tri-series also featuring Sri Lanka.

The inclusion of the young fast bowlers has significantly increased the average speed at which the Indian pace attack bowls and Sharma said it was pleasing for the team.

“Earlier everyone was saying that India can't produce a fast bowler. Now you can see that all the three fast bowlers are bowling consistently in the 90 miles per hour (range),” he said.

“Obviously it's a great feeling for any fast bowler in the team.”