The Hindu : Sport : India will hope for reversal of fortunes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 22, 2006

Sport

Sport

India will hope for reversal of fortunes

S. Ram Mahesh

Basseterre: India could have been up 2-0 before coming here to the little island of St. Kitts. Instead, the touring side begins the third Test on parity, much like it had begun the third ODI played here — after two nail-biters — almost a month ago.

Then, West Indies had gone on to win, and had eventually closed the series 4-1. India will look to engineer a reversal of fortunes this time around, guarding against poor sessions in the first ever Test here at Warner Park.

For Test series abroad have been tricky blighters for India, often lost on the caprice of a compromising session.

Rahul Dravid's men, except for the first two days of the first Test, have played better cricket than West Indies, dominating the islanders at various stages.

"If we do what we did in the last two, we'll definitely get a result," said the Indian captain, who on Tuesday completed 10 years of international cricket.

"If we make the big scores we did last match, dismiss them in the first innings, bowl well in the second, we'll be able to perform well. I won't like to change anything from those matches."

Possible showers

A change Dravid will want from the previous Test is the weather — signs aren't particularly encouraging. Short , sharp showers have had the locals muttering "hurricane weather, hurricane weather," shrugging shoulders, and adding, "nothing can be done. This is what you get when you play in June."

The playing strip at Warner Park has changed appearance since India was last here.

The caring, mud-stained hands of Andy Atkinson have ensured that a layer of yellow-green grass "a third of an inch high," according to Atkinson, has taken root. A layer that the pitch expert insisted won't be shaved off.

The black volcanic soil — conducive to the sugar industry that made St. Kitts the hub of British `sweet trade' — should bind together better than the less clayey soil of St. Lucia, and offer carry.

"I don't look too much at the grass," said Dravid, "I'm interested more in the underneath surface and how moist it is."

Extra string to the bow

So, three seamers and a spinner or two and two? Five perhaps? "We'll have a look and see what the best combination is," said Dravid. "I mean, four bowlers did the job for us last game. We would have won it if not for the rain. In an ideal scenario we'd like to have five bowlers, but Veeru (Sehwag) has been doing well, so that kind of adds an extra string to our bow.

"If Veeru maintains his consistency, it gives us an option as a relieving role. Harbhajan is a good bowler, so when he is fit and ready he always comes into consideration."

The indications are India will play four bowlers — Anil Kumble and Munaf Patel being the two certainties — for its modus operandi on the tracks so far has veered around applying pressure by piling on the runs. But, Dravid has shown the courage to play a batsman short when things are on the line — against England at Mumbai for instance — should the conditions warrant it.

No injury concerns

India has no injury concerns: M.S. Dhoni, who limped a shred during practice, should play. "He (Dhoni) has gone through the training — he looked sharp," said Dravid. "Touchwood."

West Indies has a few issues to sort out: Runako Morton could come in for Ganga; Lara — who made a strident case for livelier tracks and faster bowlers, and was denied the second by the selectors — might look at batting at one-drop after his special innings last match.

Test cricket is an inexplicable thing — the motivations and inspirations of its characters are difficult to discern. Who knows, Paraguay may have done India a favour by defeating Trinidad and Tobago in the World Cup, sufficiently saddening Lara.

The teams (from):

India: Rahul Dravid (capt.), Virender Sehwag, Wasim Jaffer, Yuvraj Singh, V.V.S. Laxman, Mohammad Kaif, M.S. Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Ramesh Powar, V.R.V. Singh, Dinesh Kaarthick.

West Indies: Brian Lara (capt.), Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor, Corey Colleymore, Pedro Collins, Marlon Samuels.

Umpires: Rudi Koertzen (South Africa) and Brian Jerling (South Africa). Third umpire: Clancy Mack. Match referee: Jeff Crowe.

Hours of play (IST): 7.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m., 10.10 p.m. to 12.10 a.m., and 12.30 a.m. till close.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport