Daren Sammy was candid on the eve of the series decider at the Chinnaswamy Stadium when asked what success would mean to West Indies. With the five-match T20I series level at 2-2, the head coach’s answer was less about the result in Bengaluru and more about the progress his side has made on this tour.

“I think it’s the first time we’ve won more than two games on Indian soil in 20 years. For us, success is progress. In spite of all the challenges that we face, if we could come here and compete against the best team in the world, the defending champions.”

West Indies’ batting has delivered on the series’ batting-friendly surfaces. They have “out-sixed” India in each of the first four T20Is, hitting 57 sixes to India’s 41. Across the ODI and T20I legs of the tour, their dot-ball consumption has also been at record-low levels for a series, complementing the power-hitting. Yet the more telling difference has come with the ball after the Powerplay, where West Indies have generally outbowled India.

“I think the clear plans that we’ve had, bowling to them, all the games, we’ve been able to pull it back after the Powerplay. With the field spread, the guys are a little bit more precise in their execution. That’s been the key for us staying in the series.”

West Indies bowling in the last three T20Is

Sammy believes the key is to prevent India from carrying their Powerplay momentum into the middle overs. West Indies have done that in the last two games, even when India started quickly.

“Once we can limit the damage done in the Powerplay, because in T20 cricket, momentum is a hell of a thing. If you have the momentum coming out of the Powerplay and you can keep it, you put yourself in a better chance of winning. What our bowlers have been able to do in the last two games is restrict them. I think the game before [third T20I in Indore] we restricted them to under 10 runs an over (136/9 at 9.71 an over). And I think last game [fourth T20I in Hyderabad] we kept them below the required rate (143/7 at 10.59 an over, when the asking rate was 11.78 at the end of the Powerplay), even when they got to a flyer.”

“We’ve managed to get ten wickets in two games. That’s a good sign when the wickets are very tough for bowlers. The execution outside the Powerplay has been spot on, so we just need to continue to focus on ways of stopping Samson when he’s flowing and Abhishek when that time comes.”

Roston Chase has been central to that control in the middle overs. He is joint-highest wicket-taker in the series with six scalps, four of them coming between overs seven and 15, where he has an economy rate of 6.80. Sammy has been impressed by the pressure the offspinner has sustained.

“To me, he’s been the best bowler in the series so far. The way he continues to keep us in the game by applying pressure, it makes the job a little easier. I think that’s one of the reasons why we’ve been able to pull the game back after the Powerplay. Roston limits the damage sometimes in the Powerplay and outside. Hopefully he continues. Sometimes he may not get the results, but at the other end the results may come.”

Sammy also pointed to the sequencing of deliveries as a way to limit damage on pitches offering little assistance to bowlers. In a must-win game for West Indies in Hyderabad, India raced to 50 in three overs while chasing 248. But across the remaining 16.3 overs, West Indies conceded 15 or more runs in an over only once, despite India finding a boundary early in the over on occasions.

“I think, stay in the present. Focus on the ball you have. What has happened before, there’s nothing you can do. Just keep the focus on the next ball. It’s not about whether the pitch is good or not; it’s about executing. On these pitches, the margin for error is quite slim.

“Your good balls will get hit for four or six. I think the onus is on bowlers. Obviously, sequence your balls, whether it be your wide yorkers, your slower ball, your bumper, but find a way where you can sequence the balls.

“Force your opposition to hit more of the balls that you execute out of the pack. Most times, no matter how good the wicket is, there’s a spot on the wicket versus the batsman that is more challenging to get runs. It’s our duty and our job as bowlers to find that spot on the batsman or the weakness and try to make them hit more of those balls. I think in the last two games, the guys have tried to do that more often than not.”

Another strong performance at the Chinnaswamy on Saturday, weather permitting, would cap a productive tour for West Indies. For Sammy, the significance extends beyond the series result: his side have made the contest competitive and given supporters back home something to rally around.

“The fact that we’ve made cricket really competitive is good for viewership. People in the Caribbean, once West Indies is doing well, it lightens the mood of every single person. Hopefully, tomorrow gives us the opportunity to bring the curtains down on an excellent tour of India and an excellent series,” Sammy concludes.