Laxman, Ganguly guide India to a position of strength VVS Laxman (60*) and Sourav Ganguly (48*) were the stars for India on the third day of their second Test against the West Indies at Port-of-Spain. The much maligned duo put on 109 runs for the unbeaten fifth wicket to guide their team to a position of relative security. India, who had gained a precious 94-run first innings lead, were earlier threatened with disaster when they lost their two best batsmen – Rahul Dravid (36) and Sachin Tendulkar (0) – in the space of just two runs. Tendulkar, who made his 29th Test ton in his team's first innings, was rather unfortunate to be given out lbw off a ball that was sailing over his stumps. The Indians, who were 165 for four in their second innings at the end of the day, now have an overall lead of 259 runs. When play resumes on Monday, they would be looking to Laxman and Ganguly to continue the good work and play them into an impregnable position on a ground that has witnessed India’s only two Test wins in the Caribbean.

Weekes: Tendulkar is doing his duty The Indian maestro himself may have admitted to as much in the media, but Sir Everton Weekes, one of the famed three Ws of the West Indies, is not ready to agree with Sachin Tendulkar on the point that he has failed to win more matches for India. "It is ridiculous. In cricket, the duty of a batsman is to score runs and that of the bowlers is to take wickets. You need 20 wickets to win a Test match. If the bowlers fail to get wickets, will the batsmen pick them?," reasons Weekes. "For Sachin, I am only concerned about whether he is getting runs. Since he is getting runs, he is doing his duty. If the Indian bowlers fail to pick wickets, what he can do? And, in that case, how can India win Tests? Moreover, you can't make Sachin responsible for the inability of your bowlers. Is he expected to take wickets to win Tests?" When asked who was the greatest Test opener in his opinion, Weekes had no hesitation in naming Sunil Gavaskar. "I have never seen such a compact opener. His technique, temperament and dedication were beyond comparison. And having seen Sachin, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman bat at Guyana, I can safely say that they are representing the country once represented by Sunny. They have that stamp in their batting-style," the former West Indian great said. Meanwhile, he rated Sir Garry Sobers as the greatest batsman he has seen. "I want to say that he is the best cricketer in the history of the game. Here I am not at all bothered about what others are saying."

An ailing great Trinidad and Tobago is not just the home of Brian Lara. It is also where Subhash Gupte, the legendary Indian leg-spinner of yore, resides. The man whom both Sir Gary Sobers and Sir Everton Weekes have rated as the greatest spinner ever, settled here after marrying a Trinidadian. As soon as the Indian team reached Port-of-Spain, their manager called on Gupte to present him with a few mementoes while also informing him of the BCCI's decision to award him with the Col. CK Nayadu award for a lifetime's contribution to cricket. But despite being delighted, the former great, who is sadly bed-ridden these days, asked for more time to confirm his participation in the award-giving ceremony which is due to be held in India later in the year. So, it will only be during next month, when India return here for the one-dayers, that we would know if India would be fortunate enough to play host to one of her greatest cricketers again.

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