One of the dilemmas that confronted the selectors when they sat down to the pick the squad for the West Indies tour was the composition of the bowling attack. The slowness of the wickets in recent years and the supposed vulnerability of West Indies' batsmen against spin suggested that three tweakers might be a good option. However, recent performances indicate that spin bowlers have enjoyed little success in the Caribbean. In the last six series played there (22 Test matches), seamers have taken 517 wickets at 24.09, while spinners have managed only 177 scalps at 32.59. The touring spinners have fared even worse – 91 wickets at 35.75.

Some of the most spectacular under-achievements include Saqlain Mushtaq's six wickets at 43.2 and Mushtaq Ahmed's eight at 43.6 in the three-Test series in 1999-00. But the biggest failure of them all was Shane Warne in 1998-99: his two wickets came at a shocking 134 runs per wicket.

There have been a few success stories though. Muttiah Muralitharan took 16 wickets at 15.4 in a two-Test series in 1996-97, while Stuart MacGill outshone his more illustrious compatriot, taking 12 wickets at 29.3.

India's bowlers, be it seamers or spinners, have struggled to make an impact in the West Indies. In five Test series since 1970-71, the Indian medium-pacers have taken 102 wickets (average 38.09), while spinners have accounted for 174 (39.07). The lack of penetration in the bowling line-up is obvious, and it's hardly surprising that India have won only two Test matches in the Caribbean.

Kapil Dev stands way ahead of the other Indian pacers: his 35 wickets have come at an impressive 23.11. Out of all Indian seamers who have taken five or more wickets in the West Indies, Abey Kuruvilla comes in next with 13 wickets at a high 36.85.

India's famed spin quartet hasn't run through the batting either. Together, they have taken 94 wickets at an average of 35.7. Bishan Bedi had a good series in 1975-76 – 18 wickets at 25.3 – but overall, his 33 wickets in the Caribbean have come at 33.7. BS Chandrasekhar (average of 31.2), Erapalli Prasanna (43) and S Venkataraghavan (38.4) have only enjoyed limited success.

However, India's spinners were by far the better performers on their last tour in 1996-97. Anil Kumble and Sunil Joshi accounted for 30 wickets at 30.2, while Venkatesh Prasad, Kuruvilla and Dodda Ganesh collectively managed only 28 at almost 38 runs per wicket. Kumble's 19 wickets (average 30.3) in five Tests was one of the few occasions he succeeded overseas.

One of the primary reasons for the lacklustre performance of the seamers was the absence of Javagal Srinath. His presence this time around will certainly bolster the pace attack, as will the inclusion of Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra.

The pitches should be more seamer-friendly than in the recent past: West Indies captain Carl Hooper has already indicated that pace would be his main weapon against the Indian batsmen. In that context, the selectors' decision to pick only two spinners seems a good one. We'll know for sure in a couple of months.

S Rajesh is sub editor of Wisden.com India

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