New Delhi: West Indies captain Darren Sammy is unperturbed by India’s reputation as an all-conquering side on home turf and said his team was prepared to face the challenge.

“India are a good side but we, too, are ready,” said Sammy. “We have just won the series in Bangladesh and know the conditions here. We are looking forward to a very interesting start to the series.”

Looking back at the series in the Caribbean, the West Indies skipper said the batting collapses let his team down. “This time, we have prepared well for the tour of the sub-continent. We had a two-week camp in Barbados, then we trained at the Centre of Excellence in Dubai where we were exposed to similar conditions. The top order is scoring runs. It is all about occupying the crease in Tests.”

The West Indies captain, it seems, is also putting a lot of faith on his bowlers to corner India.

“In Edwards and Roach, we have two of the quickest bowlers playing international cricket at the moment. Over the last year, the bowlers have worked with coach (Ottis) Gibson and we have been able to bowl out sides twice in Test matches and also bowl out sides in one-day cricket.

“We expect us to continue with what we did against India in the Caribbean. Let our pace do the talking and then we have a spinner (Devendra) Bishoo to complement that,” said Sammy.

Backing Bishoo, the 27-year-old captain said: “He is the emerging player of the team. I am looking forward to him playing a crucial part in the series.”

Asked on the hype over Sachin Tendulkar’s 100th international century, Sammy said: “Sachin….oh he is a great player. But as I said, we did not come here to play any name. We have plans for him. As much as I admire him, we will definitely make it difficult for him to get the ton.”

Pledging his team would play “fearless” cricket, Sammy said the current players are aware of the legacy of West Indies cricket. “The team saw the Fire in Babylon film (the documentary about the record-breaking West Indies cricket team of the 1970s and 1980s) and all the guys realised what cricket means to the people in the Caribbean. We have to play cricket like that,” he said.