October 22 Tuesday 2002
Windies fans keep faith in team

CHENNAI, India: West Indies cricket has taken a beating, but a small group of die-hard fans traveling with the team on its tour to India believes their beloved players can turn things around.

"No defeat can put us off," said Ravi Rambarran, a Trinidadian, who lives in Jamaica. The 37-year-old finance executive is one of 25 supporters following the team on the current tour. They say the West Indies' first Test series loss against India in 23 years hasn't made them lose hope. "Windies cricket's in the pits, but that doesn't stop us from dreaming about the return of good times," says Trevor McCartney, a surgeon from Kingston. "We've seen glorious days, and there's no reason we can't turn things around once again." But McCartney conceded that the morale of the West Indies supporters was "pretty low."

India took an unbeatable 2-0 lead on Sunday by winning the second Test by eight wickets in here, following a first Test victory in Mumbai by an innings and 112 runs.

The group of fans said they were amazed at cricket's immense following in the country. "Man, I could never believe this until I saw it," says McCartney. "The youngsters' knowledge about the game's finer points, its history and statistics, is really impressive."

McCartney said that strangers, noticing his West Indies cap, had approached him wherever he went. "People have regularly begun a conversation at the grounds, on the streets and in restaurants. They all wanted to discuss cricket. I've been repeatedly asked if Brian Lara could ever match Sachin Tendulkar's feats," said McCartney. "You've won this series, fine," he said. "But we'll get our revenge soon."