Mumbai: Former Test middle-order mainstay Gundappa Viswanath expects India to come home by wrapping up both the one-day and Test rubbers on their forthcoming visit to the West Indies, ending the country’s 35-year Test series victory drought in the Caribbean.

“Winning abroad has not been happening to Indian cricket for a long time. This series gives the best chance of winning a Test series in the West Indies, not because the West Indies team is going through a difficult phase, but because the Indian team is doing well,” Viswanath said here on Wednesday.

The one-time wrist specialist, predecessor to Mohammed Azharuddin and VVS Laxman in the dextrous use of his wrist, is here as a specialist coach for the West Zone unit of the National Cricket Academy.

Viswanath has been giving his invaluable insights on the game to 25 U-19 youngsters chosen by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to undergo the training stint.

He said though the Test team was not showing the same sort of consistency as the one-day team, he still favoured the Indian squad to win both the rubbers.

“Agreed, compared to one-day performance the Test performance has to improve. The consistency shown in one-dayers is missing in Tests. Still we have a balanced side,” said the former Test batsman.

Viswanath feels that if out-of-form Virender Sehwag gets back into the groove it will be a huge advantage for India. “Wasim (Jaffer) has done well as an opener. If Sehwag comes into form it will be a big plus point.

“The middle-order is quite settled and generally it is a balanced side. There are two good spinners and our new ball bowlers are doing well,” he said. “Basically it’s a very balanced attack now. Sreesanth is doing well, and is quite aggressive too.

“Munaf has come in now, especially in Test matches. Then there’s the allround wicketkeeper (Dhoni). I think we have a chance of winning the series,” he said. (PTI)