'We didn't trust our defence as much as we should have' – Kraigg Brathwaite

Windies scored at close to four an over throughout, and India left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who claimed his maiden Test five-for in the second innings, thought that there was some method to the madness. “They were attacking every ball,” he said. “And when someone is attacking, sometimes you tend to bowl too short and too full.”

But stand-in Windies captain Kraigg Brathwaite said that it wasn’t a team plan to go out all guns blazing. Instead, he pinpointed his batsmen’s lack of faith in their defensive techniques as the reason why the kept going for the big shot.

"[It’s a] personal plan, in terms of attacking shots,” he said. “Some of the shots from the batsmen weren't the best. We have a lot to work on. Going forward what we need to do is along with the attacking shots, trust in defence. I think that's the key.”

Brathwaite, noted as one of the more defensive batsmen in world cricket, emphasised that he didn’t think it was a matter of dropping anchor, but finding “a balance of defence and attack”.

“Obviously, when the field goes back, it's a matter of still saying positive in defence and putting away the bad balls, stroking the ball along the ground for singles,” he said. “I just think we didn't trust our defence as much as we should have.

“It's just about trusting your plans. I think today we were a lot more positive but we still didn't get the big partnerships. So I think going forward, a balance of defence and attack, I think once we can do that and build partnerships, we will be good.”