Calcutta: Admitting that his performances in the shorter versions haven't been too good, Ishant Sharma has no qualms to accept that Test cricket is his strength.

Ishant is the most experienced pacer in the current Indian squad for the four-Test series versus the West Indies and it goes without saying that his knowledge about the conditions in the Caribbean will be beneficial for the other quicks as well.

"You have to be honest with yourself, that's the most important thing. If you are being honest with yourself, it's easy to accept things then.

"I know that I didn't do well in the shorter formats of the game and I have no problem in accepting it. But I am doing well in Test cricket, so I know what my strength is. Test cricket is my strength," Ishant told bcci.tv.

Ishant, who last played a limited-overs game for India earlier in January against Australia, said little time available in adjusting between formats has made it all the more challenging for him to adapt.

"If you are playing all formats of the game, it's very difficult to point out what's actually going wrong for you and what's going right. It's very difficult as you have a very short time to understand all these things.

"I know I didn't do well in ODIs and T20Is. I think everybody has his strengths. I always believe in that and there is no harm in accepting it," Ishant said.

The last time India toured the West Indies for Test matches, which was in 2011 under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ishant was the Man of the Series with 22 wickets from three Tests. He stressed on the need for having a two-way communication with the other pacers to benefit the team.

"I am sharing my experiences and hoping that what worked for me works for them as well," he said. "But then the other quicks also have to identify their areas of strength because as I said, everybody has his own strengths.

"Bhuvineshwar (Kumar)'s strength is swing, but he can't extract the bounce like I can do. Similarly, I can't get the ball to swing like him."

The pitches in the Caribbean have become slower than what they used to be in the past. But no matter how conditions are, the key is to be relentless in attack, Ishant believes.

"You have to work hard enough even if conditions are not favourable. The key is to be relentless in attack," he said.

"It is easy to give up and say there's nothing in the wicket, so the spinners will do the job and we, fast bowlers, will only try to hit the right areas. But you should back yourself and go flat out.

"I like to go flat out whether it is my second or third spell. If I am playing, I give my 100 per cent. That makes me a different bowler.

"The conditions are of course very challenging. It's pretty hot out there too, so you need to look after yourself properly.

"And obviously, the time difference... It's totally a different time zone and you need to be mindful of that as well, especially when you are playing four Test matches," Ishant concluded.

The 27-year-old went wicketless in India's first warm-up tie in the West Indies, versus the WICB President's XI in St Kitts. He sent down 48 runs off the 13 overs he bowled.

It wasn't easy for the pacers out there on a slow wicket. Even the other three fast bowlers - Bhuvneshwar, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav - managed to pick up just one wicket each. Bhuvneshwar was the most economical of all the pacers.