West Indies trying to adapt to Indian pitches: Rutherford

Gearing up for next month's T20 series, West Indies all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford on Friday said his team has been trying to adapt to the Indian pitches and would look to put up a good show against India. The three-match T20 series starts in Hyderabad on December 6, followed by games in Thiruvananthapuram (December 8) and Mumbai (December 11).

"I am happy to get the opportunity. Preparation has been coming along well, we had a lot of time to train and to get some work done. So over the past few days we have been putting in some hard work and are looking forward to giving our best against India," Rutherford told reporters here. "Most of the Indian pitches are good wickets to bat on. We have been working on adapting to the pitches so we can improve our game. I don't think players are thinking too much about the World Cup or IPL, it's just about performance and everything else will follow from there."

The West Indies team has been based in India for the last one month, playing their bilateral series against Afghanistan which featured three ODIs, three T20s and a one-off Test. Rutherford, who was part of the T20 series against Afghanistan, said he has been taking batting tips from skipper Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell.

"My role in the middle order is similar (to that of Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell). I have been working with them, talking to them and learning a lot. My game is about adapting and learning," said the 21-year-old left-handed batsman. Pollard was named as the skipper for the limited-over series against India with Nicholas Pooran as his deputy in the shorter format and Shai Hope taking over the role of the vice-captain in the ODIs.

Talking about his skipper, Rutherford said: "KP (Pollard) is such a cool leader. He's somebody you can talk to. Someone, who would listen to you always. (He) brings a different energy to training sessions and the guys look up to him." The T20 World Cup will be held next year in Australia but Rutherford said he is not thinking that far and would like to take one step at a time.

"T20 World Cup is a while from now but every series we look to take something out of it. We look to give our best and take it one step at a time," he said. Rutherford, who has played three T20Is, said he is keen to play all the three formats and is putting in the hard yards.

"Bowling is something that I like to do. Now I'm comfortable bowling but its something comes after my batting but it gives me confidence," he said. "I want to play all three formats but everything is (about the right) timing so I am doing the hard work and hopefully I will get my opportunity when I deserve it."

The 21-year-old also batted for franchise cricket, saying it provides a platform for all those players who fail to make it to the national team. "I have not been in a situation where I had any problem with the management style but I think franchise cricket is good because not everyone might play for West Indies or their countries. So I think franchise cricket helps a lot of players, especially players that cannot make it to the national team," Rutherford said.

"I don't see any problems with franchise cricket. May be sometimes it gets a bit frustrating as you may not stay as much free as you want to but I think it's good and in everything you have to make sacrifices," he added. The all-rounder also heaped praise on the West Indies Test team, who thrashed Afghanistan by nine-wickets in the one-off Test at Lucknow.

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