For the first time since 2019, the West Indies will battle India in the game’s longest format with the first Test of India’s tour of the Caribbean set to bowl off on July 12 in Dominica.

Since that 2019 series which India won 2-0, also in the Caribbean, the West Indies have played 12 series. Out of those 12, they have won four, drawn two and lost six. Three of those series wins have come in their last five series.

On the other hand, India, have won eight out of 12 series since then, including three of their last five.

West Indies vice-captain, Jermaine Blackwood, hopes the West Indians can step up to the plate against the mighty Indians.

“India is the number one team in the world right now,” Blackwood told SportsMax.tv.

“We, as a team, for the past year or two, have been playing some good cricket and now we just want to take it to another stage,” he added.

From an individual standpoint, the middle order batsman has had a rough time of it against his upcoming opponents.

In five matches, Blackwood has scored 184 runs at an average of 28.26 with a pair of fifties.

The Jamaican says he’s hoping to rectify that in this series.

“That’s why I’m here working so hard. Me and the captain spoke about wanting to lead the team with the bat and we’ve been doing that for the last year or two. That will be more important now playing against a team like India,” Blackwood said.

Brathwaite has also had a tough time of it against India, averaging just 22.40 in 11 matches.

With all that in mind, the pair will have to come good for the West Indies to have any chance of knocking off the number one Test team in the world, a sentiment which Blackwood echoes.

“We have to make sure we score the bulk of the runs. I know that we’re going to play against a tough opponent and I know that I want to score some runs for myself and the team,” Blackwood said.

“Whenever I score runs, the team normally feeds off that so that is the mentality I want to take into this series,” he added.