Not easy to defend title but won't give up easily: WI players

New Delhi, Oct 2 (UNI) Defending champions West Indies might have been forced to play the qualifiers but the players, brimming with enthusiasm after spate of good performances recently, vowed in unison that they will fight tooth and nail to retain the title.

''It won't be easy for us to defend the title, but it won't be easy for them (other teams) to take it from us either,'' all-rounder Dwayne Bravo said while interacting with the media here today.

Vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan seemed to echo the message as he pointed out that the team had been on a resurgence in the recent past.

''Obviously it is not a great feeling to be the holders and then play in the qualifying round. But we will play competetive cricket and advance to the next stage,'' Sarwan said.

''We have played very well in the DLF Cup in Malaysia where we beat Asutralia and India to reach finals. Before that we had defeated India 4-1 in one-dayers at home. I guess we have a fair chance of winning the trophy again,'' he said.

He admitted that the team was lacking a bit of consistency in the batting and if the top four -- Brian Lara, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and he himself -- batted well, the trophy could be theirs again.

Opener Chris Gayle laid stress on the need to adapt to the situation and was looking forward to play a role both with the bat and the ball.

''The key is going to be how well can we adapt to the conditions.

As me and some others players have played in the 2002 series, the experience is going to come handy. Since, I can bowl some off spin, that is going to be an advantage on the Indian wickets,'' he said.

Meanwhile, West Indian bowlers are going to adopt a different approach when they go into the tournament. While Fidel Edwards is in no mood to cut down on his fiery pace, Jerome Taylor says he will not play for the speed gun.

''I'm going to bowl as fast as I could,'' said young Fidel and added, ''Of course line and length will be the key. But you can maintain line and length and bowl at good pace at the same time,'' said Edwards who openly admitted that he wanted to touch the 100mph mark.

Taylor, who has just recovered from an injury, meanwhile stated that pace was not everything and he would rather prefer to bowl in the right areas.

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