ROSEAU, Dominica (CMC) — Not for the first time, Captain Kraigg Brathwaite found himself urging West Indies to be consistent, as they geared up for the start of yet another daunting Test series against powerhouses India starting here today (Wednesday).

The Caribbean side enter the two-Test series battling the weight of history, having not beaten the world number ones in two decades and during which time they also failed to win a single game played at home or away.

And Brathwaite, a veteran of 85 Tests — 11 of which have come against the south Asian side — said if West Indies were to take anything away from the series, they would need to be consistent from the first ball at Windsor Park.

“We look forward to the challenge. I think we also look forward to the support of the Dominican public,” Brathwaite said on the eve of the encounter.

“And we had some number discussions on how we want to go about playing and the key is consistency. We want to be consistent — and that is from first innings right through the whole Test match into the second Test — and for us we look forward to doing that,” he said.

When the two sides last met four years ago in the Caribbean, the hosts were on the receiving end of harsh defeats — going down by 318 runs in Antigua and 257 runs in the Kingston second Test.

Only five players who featured in that second Test are still around — Brathwaite, then Captain Jason Holder, fast bowlers Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach, and off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall, the latter of whom has been recalled following two years on the sidelines.

Despite West Indies’ lack of success over the last four years, however, the 35-year-old Roach has displayed exactly the consistency Brathwaite has asked for, taking 68 wickets from 22 Tests at an average of 28 to move into fifth place on the all-time West Indies bowling charts with 261 scalps.

And it was no surprise that Brathwaite pointed to the enduring Barbadian as one the keys to unlocking India in the upcoming series.

“It’s great to have Kemar around, especially with his experience in the dressing room,” Brathwaite said.

Wednesday could also see a Test debut for hometown lad Alick Athanaze, the 24-year-old left-hander who has made a massive impression over the last year with his prolific scoring.

He is one of two uncapped players in the squad, the other being free-scoring, 22-year-old opener Kirk McKenzie.

In their only Test series this year West Indies were beaten 2-0 away to South Africa.

SQUADS:

WEST INDIES — Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (vice-captain), Alick Athanaze, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kirk McKenzie, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican

INDIA — Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), KS Bharat, Ishan Kishan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini