Can resurgent WI overcome depleted India in first test? (Preview)

India’s tour of West Indies so far has been a low-key affair with stars from both sides missing out on the action for one reason or other. While West Indies cricket is facing a mutiny like situation, India has its own share of problems- fatigue, injuries to players. The ODI series in spite of being a good contest between bat and ball failed to generate the kind of hype that India’s overseas tours usually do.

It wouldn’t surprise many if the test series suffers a similar fate in terms of viewership; after all, there is no Sachin Tendulkar, no Chris Gayle, the most popular players from the two teams. The absence of other test team regulars like Virendar Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir and S Sreesanth takes away the sheen from three match test series. Nevertheless, it is a god-sent opportunity for the young brigade of Indian players to prove their mettle in the longer version of the game. The likes of Virat Kohli, Amit Mishra, Abhimanyu Mithun, Abhinav Mukund, Murali Vijay have to prove that they can withstand the rigors of test cricket and belong to this league.

As reiterated by various pundits of the game, India’s bench strength is probably the best among the cricket playing nations at present. Few teams would lose about half the side and still be good enough to take on any side in the world. That is probably the one good thing IPL has done to Indian cricket, players emerge from no where and suddenly the selectors are faced with ‘problem of plenty’.

MS Dhoni’s return as the leader would mark a welcome change from the insipid captaincy in the ODI series when Suresh Raina did not impress many with his decision making skills especially in the last two matches that India lost. And, the Ranchi man has to make some tricky decisions, whether to play two spinners or go with a three pronged pace attack on a pitch that has both pace and bounce. There are also batting positions to fill- who will bat at the crucial no.4 spot vacated due to Sachin’s decision to give the series a miss.

The good thing for India is that they are playing a team that is light on batting, so the second string attack may be able to do the job. What would really be a cause of concern are the depleted batting resources, plus there is the ‘short-ball’ issue as most batsmen in the ODI series have failed to negotiate rising deliveries. Skills apart, it will be a test of character as well for the youngsters who may have to face lot of ‘chin music’.

For West Indies, it is the ‘feel-good’ factor that will sustain them in the initial phases of the test series. Two back to back wins, albeit in matches of little consequence in the overall context of the ODI series have to some extent brought back the crowds in the otherwise empty stadiums. Without exaggerating the importance of winning momentum, the Windies desperately needed few victories under their belt before they took on world’s top ranked test side.

The home selectors have hogged the headlines for their ‘brave’ and sometimes ‘not-so-wise’ choices, but finally good sense seems to have prevailed as two experienced hands- Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan were drafted into the squad. The two middle-order batsmen have a good record against India and can play the spin well, something the team has failed to do. The struggle against the Syed Ajmal’s variety in the earlier series and the fear that Amit Mishra’s googly instilled during the limited overs series may well encourage India to go with a spin-heavy attack.

However, the fast bowling trio of Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach is likely to cause problems for the Indian batsmen with their pace. Not to count out the innocuous medium-pace of Darren Sammy that can come handy in helpful conditions. Then there is Bishoo’s nagging leg-spin, who would want to do well against the best players of spin on earth. The Indian batsmen will have to play very well to keep this attack at bay.

India won their last test series in the Caribbean under Rahul Dravid’s stewardship 1-0; Dhoni would be eyeing a similar result to further tighten the grip on number one ranking. Duncan Fletcher’s performance as the coach of Team India in his first full fledged assignment would be under the scrutiny. For the hosts, the priority would be to avoid a loss early in the series and a win would be a bonus.

SQUADS

West Indies: Darren Sammy (Capt), Brendan Nash, Adrian Barath, Carlton Baugh (wk), Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons.

India: Abhimanyu Mithun, Abhinav Mukund, Amit Mishra, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, MS Dhoni (Capt & Wk), Munaf Patel, Murali Vijay, Parthiv Patel (wk), Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar, Rahul Dravid, S Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, VVS Laxman