'Looking forward to making our own brand' - Joshua Da Silva optimistic of West Indies' potential in 'new era'

West Indies keeper-batter Joshua Da Silva is hopeful for a better result in the upcoming two-match Test series against Australia, which is slated to begin on January 17. The visiting team suffered a whitewash against the Pat Cummins-led side in the last Australian summer but Da Silva reminded that they have learned their lessons and have improved to produce a good performance in the Test series.

Meanwhile, West Indies have called up seven uncapped players for the upcoming series as only four players since their last tour to Australia in late 2022 are part of the squad. Despite that, Da Silva, who scored a century in a warm-up match against Cricket Australia XI, remains confident of their chances.

“Last year is last year and we're here to try again. We have a few new faces so we are going to have a bit of new blood coming in. It's going to be exciting. Everybody's really keen. Seven uncapped players. If they haven't gotten a taste, they're really raring to go get a taste of it. So the mood in the camp is great,” Da Silva was quoted as saying by The West Australian.

The situation of having multiple uncapped players in the squad is nothing new to West Indies as they have averaged one debutant every two Tests in the past five years. Meanwhile, the visitors added Brian Lara as the mentor of the team for the series, which should give them some confidence. Speaking about that, Da Silva mentioned that it is a new era and the team is looking forward to creating its own brand of playing.

“That's always a goal. We talk about it every day, about getting back to those days. But it's a new era now. And we're just looking forward to making our own brand and playing that brand of cricket. The knowledge (Lara) has is second to none. What he's done for the game, what he's done for West Indies cricket on its own. His presence alone speaks for itself. Because he's had so much experience, I think everybody can learn from him,” the 25-year-old added.