Port-of-Spain, June 19: A 16-member Indian team, eager to ease the pain of their Twenty20 World Cup debacle, arrived here from London to play in a four-match ODI series against the West Indies starting June 26.

The visitors landed at the Norman Manley International Airport in Jamaica on Friday without key players Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan.

But captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was confident his team had the wherewithal to challenge an inconsistent West Indies team as they play the first two matches at Sabina Park on June 26 and 28. The next two matches will be played at St. Lucia on July 3 and 5.

"When it comes to playing for your country you don’t really need motivation to go out and perform. The West Indies are playing good cricket at the moment. They are good in Twenty20, but in the 50 overs, you have time to settle down," said Dhoni.

"After playing so much T20 games, 50 overs seem like a Test match," quipped Dhoni.

Coach Gary Kirsten, who said fatigue and injuries resulted in India’s failure in the T20 World Cup, admitted the experienced players would be missed but said it was the time for youngsters to seize the opportunity.

"You’re always going to miss them because they are great players, but it’s a great opportunity for a tour of this nature for young players to show what they’re made of," said Kirsten.

"We’re looking to those young players for the future as well. This is a great opportunity for these guys to stake their claim."

— PTI