After struggling to get on the scorecard in four of his last seven innings in Test cricket, Jermaine Blackwood is hoping to turn the fortunes on his wretched form line.

Blackwood, whose poor run of form started in the West Indies three-match series against Australia late last year, once again failed in both innings of the team’s innings and 92-run defeat in the first Test against India at North Sound, Antigua.

However, the aggressive Jamaican batsman is citing a different approach, considering he seeks to regain some form on home soil in the second Test of the four-match series scheduled for July 30 to August 3 here at Sabina Park.

“It is always good to be back in Jamaica, and knowing you are going to be playing in front of your home crowd is a good feeling and gives extra confidence. I think I have been a bit too negative, so I think I have to take a different approach to my batting,” he told journalists shortly after the team’s arrival at the Norman Manley International Airport on Tuesday.

“I am a positive person and I always wanted to be good for my country, so hopefully I can get some runs in this game. As long as I apply myself I know I am going to score runs,” he added.

The 24-year-old, who broke into the West Indies Test squad in June 2014, has so far scored 800 runs from 16 matches and 29 innings at an average of 30.76. He achieved his maiden Test century against England last year by hitting an unbeaten 112, which is complemented by six half-centuries.

Despite his deteriorating form, Blackwood pointed out that the feedback from the coaching staff and teammates have been positive and encouraging.

“Everything is positive, [I am] getting positive feeling from the coaching staff and the players also, so it is just for me to go out there now and execute. It is all about putting in some hard work in the nets and hopefully I can come up with a big score in this game,” he reiterated.

Meanwhile, Head Coach Phil Simmons agreed that Blackwood’s form is ailing, but failed to confirm the prospect of this being the player’s last game to prove his worth.

“I don’t know about that (last game). We haven’t decided on what is happening yet, so when we decide that then we will know.

“He is struggling. Last year against England he started well in my time, but he has struggled lately. But he keeps working hard and [in times] like that you have to keep working hard until you get out of it,” Simmons told journalists.

With the 13-man squad fielding one outright fast bowler in Shannon Gabriel against a India team that usually struggles against pace, Simmons was pressed about the possibility of Miguel Cummings coming into this game.

“He (Cummins) has done well in regional cricket and he was in Australia with us when Shannon got injured. So he is just raring to go and if he gets his chance, I am sure he is going to do well,” Simmons noted.

“The 13 that we have here is what is on my mind right now, so that and winning this match is what we have to think about. After that then we can think about the 13 here and that’s what we have to look at,” he added when asked to give his view on Jamaica’s left-arm seamer Sheldon Cottrell.