The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Indians were out-thought

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Friday, Jun 02, 2006

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Indians were out-thought

The benefits of this victory need to be further solidified by a good performance in the Tests, writes Vivian Richards

The 4-1 victory over the Indians in the one-dayers is a huge boost for West Indies before the 2007 World Cup to be hosted here. The Indians came here ranked third in the ICC rankings, they had 16 straight winning chases behind them, but the hosts still defeated them, thanks to a mantra I always believe in: passion plus planning. This is the last series being played in the islands before the showpiece event, and the benefits of this victory need to be further solidified by a good performance in the Tests.

The Indians might have lost, but they must be hurting real bad and will be trying to make amends in the longer version of the game. It is also worthwhile to remember that three of the five games could have gone either way, so while the 4-1 margin may seem sizeable the games were closely fought. Moreover, with Anil Kumble and VVS Laxman joining Rahul Dravid, the team is a lot more experienced, which is a crucial factor. The loss of Sachin Tendulkar due to injury will continue to hamper the Indians, but the guy replacing him must try and utilize this opportunity.

Time Sehwag planned

I would also like to see Virender Sehwag take on some more responsibility in the absence of his star teammate. For long I have heard that he is an attacking player and that on some occasions he might get out in a seemingly casual manner. 'That's the way he plays' is an argument I find indefensible at this level. Great batsmen always back their strokeplay with some serious planning. Hitting one's way out of trouble is not always the right plan, and I would like to see Sehwag plan his innings with a bit more thought.

The track at the Recreation Park has been a graveyard for bowlers over the last decade. However, there have been times when the pitch has offered a little pace and bounce to the fast bowlers.

Hopefully we will get some of that on Friday, though I still think it will remain a batsman-friendly wicket.

The West Indies have shown tremendous commitment and aggressive body language right through the one-dayers. The turning point was when Dwayne Bravo bowled Yuvraj Singh in that second one-dayers, and since then, there has been no looking back.

I have also been really impressed with Brian Lara's captaincy. I was pretty sceptical about how things would pan out with him back at the helm, but he has been pretty special so far. The West Indian think tank certainly outthought and out planned the Indians in the one-dayers, and he needs to be congratulated for that.

His team looks pretty strong in the Tests as well with a fair bit of experience in the batting. More importantly, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Lara all have good knocks behind them.

The bowling is comparatively raw, but I think Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards do have potential. The latter needs to be a little consistent, and if he pitches the ball in good areas, with his unusual action, he could be a handful for the Indians.

One cannot discount Dwayne Bravo either. He is an exceptional fielder, and lifts the team in that department. He also has that ability to make things happen, and it's good to see him live up to the potential that we saw in Australia last year.

Crucial Test

I had predicted that the one-day series would not be an easy ride for the Indians and I was right. On the eve of the Tests, I predict that the Antigua Test is going to be crucial. If the hosts maintain the momentum they have from the one-dayers, they will head towards a complete series win. However, if the Indians are allowed to come back strongly in this Test, they are too good a team to let go of that initiative. It's going to be another seesaw battle. West Indies won the crucial moments in the one-dayers — it all depends on who does that in the Tests.

Gameplan

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