Blackwood: Kohli, Russell contributed to my success in 2020

WEST Indies middle order batsman Jermaine Blackwood said he received advice from India captain Virat Kohli and West Indian Andre Russell in recent years, which he said would have contributed to his solid run of form in 2020.

The last six months have been tough for West Indies as the regional team lost series to England, New Zealand and Bangladesh all away from home. The Windies batsmen have struggled, but right-handed Blackwood has delivered with some creditable performances against England and New Zealand. Blackwood scored 211 runs with two half centuries at an average of 35.16 in a three-match Test series, which West Indies lost 2-1 last July. In December, Blackwood finished as the top West Indies batsman again in a two-match Test series against New Zealand. He cracked 216 runs which included one century and one half century at an average of 54 in a series which West Indies lost 2-0.

Blackwood is not resting on his laurels. “I had a very good 2020 outing. The last couple of series against England and against New Zealand (was fruitful), but this is 2021. It is a new year,” Blackwood told journalists on Zoom, on Wednesday.

“I have to put 2021 behind me and just try to focus as much as possible on what’s ahead.” West Indies are in Bangladesh preparing for a two-match Test series, which bowls off on February 3. West Indies lost the three-match One Day International series 3-0.

Blackwood has reached out to his fellow Jamaican. “Me and Russell did a lot of talking because we are very close. We do a lot of talking around me not scoring or not going on to score more hundreds because that is something I need to improve on and as you can see I am slowly improving.”

Blackwood is trying to make smarter decisions when he is at the crease. “I think it is mostly about my shot selection because when I started playing for West Indies I was young and excited, so my style of batting when I just started playing I wanted to play a lot of shots and put the bowlers under pressure...I learned that you can’t make a hundred in an over or two you have to spend time, you have to spend hours at the crease.”

Blackwood added, “He (Russell) only played one Test match, but he is a guy who knows the cricket. I think he helped me in that aspect as well.”

Blackwood does not discuss much cricket with players outside the West Indies, but Kohli has given him advice. “I don’t really have a lot of conversations with international players, but I talked to Virat Kohli a few times as well on social media.”

He said when India last toured the Caribbean in 2019 for a Test series Kohli gave him some pointers. “After the game I just had a small conversation with him (and) I just asked him how come I have a lot of half centuries and only one century and he just said, ‘What did you do when you scored the century? How many deliveries did you face?’ I said, ‘I faced 212.’ He said, ‘That’s it. Once you can bat some balls you are going to score runs.’ I took a big thing from that. I always tell myself after that conversation once I could bat over 200 balls or 300 I am going to score runs. Once I am there the way I play, the way I bat, I am going to score runs regardless who I am playing against or where I am playing.”

Blackwood now has 13 half centuries and two centuries in Test cricket.