West Indies captain Chris Gayle is confident heading into the first Test against New Zealand, which begins tomorrow at the University Oval in Dunedin.

He was speaking after the players had another intense three-hour training session at the Otago High Performance Centre, after steady rain forced the team to have nets and fielding drills indoors.

"We are up against a good team and you have to say it is even-stevens. The two teams are evenly matched and these Test matches will be very vital for us," said Gayle.

Gayle gave full support to his bowlers and noted: "We have quite a few fast bowlers and I trust them to get the job done. We will be looking to set them (Kiwis) back early and look to move on from there." The captain also added that whatever New Zealand throw at them, the Windies batsmen will be capable of handling.

"Whatever comes across we have to deal with it. The ball will swing and most of us have been playing for sometime now so we have to use our skill and experience to deal with the New Zealand bowlers.

"It is nothing new … we just have to face what they send down," said the 29-year-old.

"I am just taking it step by step but at the same time I plan to be myself out there. "I am maturing and there is more responsibility but the mindset will be to play positive cricket."