The Hindu : Sport : Windies looks like champion material

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Saturday, Oct 28, 2006
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Windies looks like champion material

The Indian batting order is not working at the moment, writes Viv Richards

— Photo: K.R. Deepak

ON A HIGH: The West Indies has played its last two games with intelligence, passion and confidence.

The best part about West Indies's entry into the semifinals is that they have got there beating two of the best sides in the tournament — World champions Australia and hosts India.

They look like champion material right now, and have played their last two games with intelligence, passion and confidence. They seem committed to defending the Champions Trophy, and every move of Brian Lara has clicked. I would go on to say that they look the best team in the tournament so far, and I hope they can keep the rhythm going for at least one more week.

The Indians were totally off-colour on Thursday. Their top batsmen looked really tentative, and the West Indian bowlers gained in confidence when they saw their opponents scratching around. No Indian batsman could assume the role of a leader to take the team to a score of 250, which would have been a reasonable target at Motera.

Batting order

The Indian batting order is not working at the moment and something needs to be done. The loss of two early wickets put pressure on them and they allowed Lara to finish off Dwayne Smith's spell within the first 32 overs. The Indians were unsure to attack either him or the two spinners, Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels.

Lara was brave to take the field in this game, but if you want to win, you have to lead by example. Thanks to India's diffidence, his every tactic worked, and once the hosts had been restricted to 223, all that was required was some sensible batting. The wobble at the end looked worse than it actually was.

Momentum

For the West Indians, it is important that they play their best team and best cricket against England, even though they are already through to the semifinals. Winning is a habit, and it is best to maintain it before the final stages. I would like to see Lara play on Saturday as well because the team must not lose momentum at any cost.

For the Indians, it all boils down to the last game against Australia. It's a virtual quarterfinal, and the Australians are serious opposition. Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell will have to look at their team composition carefully before this game.

(Gameplan)

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