W hile all the attention has been focused on the West Indies’ lukewarm batting performances, Bowling Coach Corey Collymore is eyeing consistency within the bowling department as the regional side aims to level the two-match series against India in the second Test at Sabina Park starting tomorrow.

The regional side slumped to a 318-run defeat in the first Test in Antigua, dismissed for 222 in their first innings and 100 in their second, after India, batting first, registered scores of 297 and 343-7 declared.

This as pacer Kemar Roach, who captured four first-innings wickets and spinner Roston Chase, with four in the second innings, produced superb bowling efforts in the cause. Those performances saw both players making moves in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) bowling rankings.

Roach, 31, moved into the top 10, after jumping three places to eighth, while part-time off-spinner Chase, who fired in 54 overs for a six-wicket match haul, jumped from 45th to 38th. Chase also topscored with 48 in the first innings.

Captain Jason Holder slipped to 11th, while fellow pacer Shannon Gabriel dropped to 16th, after picking up two and four wickets, respectively, at Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium.

While lauding both Roach and Chase on the move, Collymore pointed out that the second Test represents another opportunity for those bowlers to once again show their class.

“It’s a good sign for the team, Roach has been leading the bowling attack since he came back in the team for the past two or three years, along with Shannon Gabriel, so too is captain Jason Holder, who didn’t have as good as a game as he would like to and then Roston Chase did a very good job for the team coming as the main spinner.

“So this Test represents another opportunity for these guys to do well, as a bowling group, we try to stay close knit, you know, try to speak almost every day after the game and Roach and Shannon would come up with a few more plans for the next day or the next ends, etc. So consistency and improvement overall would be really good,” Collymore told the Jamaica Observer, shortly after a training session at Sabina Park yesterday.

Collymore, who played 30 Tests and 84 One-Day Internationals for West Indies, believes the team has the potential to upstage India, but will have to make significant improvements in all departments.

The 41-year-old pointed to several drop chances which resulted in India’s stylish batsman Ajinkya Rahane making 81 and 102.

“We’re definitely looking for some improvement from batsmen… they’ve been working hard in the nets, and the bowlers had the day off to put their legs up because they had four hard days bowling in Antigua. But, (we are) definitely looking for some improvement in the batting and also the bowling as a unit.

“We also dropped a couple of crucial catches…you know Ajinkya Rahane was dropped both innings and that obviously put us back a lot both innings. At this level, we can’t be dropping good players, so overall we need a massive improvement just as much,” Collymore noted.

Though the batting department is not in his portfolio, the Barbadian was also seen offering advice to young Jamaican batsman John Campbell, who is one of the batsmen searching for form.

“I know a little bit about how John plays, and being a bowler, I can offer some advice on how he is getting out. He is always receptive and he wants to learn and that’s a good sign for a young player,” noted Collymore.

He, however, exuded confidence that the regional side will give a good exhibition at Sabina Park.

“I think we’re very confident, we’ve been playing some good cricket at home for the past two or three years. We did not put up a good showing in Antigua and we understood that, and I think this game should be massive for us. No surprises, we just got to go and play some good cricket,” he ended.