The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Stress on playing the middle overs well

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Wednesday, Jan 31, 2007
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Stress on playing the middle overs well

It was nice to see the West Indians pull one back at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The decision to bat second came as a surprise to many, but I guess Brian Lara was anticipating the dew factor when he made that call. He might have been a little worried at the start, but fortunately for him, the host suffered a bit of a collapse at the end. The logic of playing two day/night games in this series is also baffling.

None of the games in the World Cup will be played under lights, so there is no point playing such games during a series that is supposed to be preparation for both the sides for the big games in the West Indies.

Opening slot

The Indians seem to be having plenty of options at the opening slot, but they do have some concerns in the middle order. On Saturday, Robin Uthappa was really impressive, but the likes of Suresh Raina and Mohammed Kaif are not in good form, and there seems to be no replacements in sight.

It must be a relief to have Yuvraj Singh back, and hopefully he will be fully fit by the time the tournament comes around. The result of games in the West Indies hinges on how a team plays in the middle overs. Therefore, every team has to get its middle order right if it wants to do well in the World Cup.

There may be the sceptics who feel that the Indian think tank is erring by resting the likes of Sourav Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni during this series. However, I think it's not such a bad idea, because not only do you get to see other players, you also send a message to these guys that they are important and need to be fresh for the big season ahead.

For the West Indians, the knocks by Lara and Marlon Samuels were timely. The latter is a really talented player, and I am glad to see that he is looking more committed, involved and responsible towards his team these days.

The West Indians are looking good, with almost every player clicking in the series at some point or the other. They know that their board has made them take this arduous trip, but they have tried to make most of their time in India. They must now focus on the World Cup and prepare quietly at home.

As I had said in the first article, it would have been better for the West Indians to prepare at home rather than in India. The West Indies team has a chance to change all that if it plays well. Hopefully, the West Indies Cricket Board will support that end by being a little more visionary and proactive than it has been in the recent past.

Gameplan

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