A chance for the West Indies to soar
Apurva Agarwal - 14 April 2002
With India's star batsman Sachin Tendulkar back in the pavilion within
two sessions, as opposed to his West Indian counterpart, Carl Hooper,
who occupied the crease for a solid four sessions, the Test seems to
have been very much decided at the close of the third day. It also
seems to have set the tone for the entire series. The competition
between two of the supposedly weakest teams in world cricket today is
headed only one way - unless you are an avid and optimistic Indian
supporter who won't have any of it.
Past experience strongly suggests that the West Indies will probably
run away with the Test match, given that they have enjoyed the upper
hand for the most part. The home team amassed a psychologically
massive 501, dismissed the Indian top-order for under 300, and appear
all the more keen to further fall upon a relatively weak opposition
under the newly aggressive Hooper.
To be fair, it is not that the Indians who have performed badly in
this game; it is just that the West Indians have simply outplayed
them. To have initially batted with such determination on the very
first day of the Test series is a big psychological advantage, not
just for this match but for the upcoming games too. The Indians now
know that they have to bowl a lot better if they intend to restrict
the Windies to lower scores, and that, of course, is bound to give
them a hard time. Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul have already
displayed their brilliance, and Brian Lara must be hungry for runs
after his layoff; it all spells doom and danger for the tourists.
Then, as if their batting performance were not sufficient to give
their supporters reason for cheer, their pace battery excelled too,
successfully dismissing the opposition's top-order, including their
strongest batsman who, at least by his high personal standards, went
rather cheaply. Where Tendulkar was expected to equal or, at least,
near Hooper's performance, he was only able to muster 79 runs vis-à-
vis the skipper's 233.
If India intend to make an impression here, they will need more dream
batting performances from Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. In other words, it
is the Indian batting that will either make them proud or let them
down. Laxman reversed India's fortunes against Australia, and much is
expected of him now. Tendulkar's invaluable contributions to the
national cause need no mention really, and he will probably be India's
top performer at the end of the series.
Sourav Ganguly, who should ideally have shaped himself into a match-
winner by now, is miserably struggling and undoubtedly is a very
expensive member of the team at number three. A stronger batting
lineup, thus, is the need of the hour, with more consistent performers
like Tendulkar in the side. If the experienced players like Ganguly
are unable to deliver, then the selectors should not feel shy to give
recent achievers like Dinesh Mongia and Wasim Jaffer an opportunity to
prop up the side's kismet.
In order to win here, a topic to which much analysis has been devoted,
Tendulkar, Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Sanjay Bangar and Mongia have to come
good in combination, in addition to performing well at their
respective individual levels. Between the five of them, they have to
categorically and consistently score in excess of 300 runs, if not
more. In the bowling department, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh are
the key to Indian success, as the West Indies are seasoned players of
pace, and only an unconventional bowling approach, with a focus on
spin instead of fast bowling, can have any impact on rattling their
batting prowess.
Besides that, India can only hope to draw the series in some way, if
not lose outright. India, as the jinx goes, have not won a series
outside the subcontinent in the last 16 years, and they have not shown
any signs of reversing the trend thus far in the Caribbean. Although
three days is too short a period to affirmatively tell who will win
the series, it is by all means a good indicator to determine the
future turn of events.
In Hooper, Lara and Chanderpaul, the current Windies side should
finally bury their poor recent past and thereby re-emerge as a soaring
eagle on the cricketing map. And what better time to do so than now -
against a struggling Indian team, in front of home crowds in their own
backyard, and as much conviction as they can bring to bear.
The views expressed above are solely those of the guest
contributor and are carried as written, with only minor editing
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