West Indies look to answer questions (Preview)

For a second string Indian team led by Suresh Raina, the tour to West Indies has started off exactly according to their plans. All the nervous energy among the young Indian brigade of cricketers who got their chance owing to the absence of plethora of star players would have evaporated after a good show in the first two outings of the tour. A feel good about kind of an environment would have been developed and players would be more or less settled now.

India followed their easy T-20 victory with a winning start to the five-match ODI series. The heavy loaded spin department came to the party on Port of Spain’s slowish pitch last match to restrict the home team to a gettable score. For the visitors, lead off spinner Harbhajan Singh, as expected, proved to be too hot for inexperienced West Indies batting lineup to handle. He was well complemented by other slow bowling options and two pacers Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel. All that should please Raina and the new coaching staff. Despite showing some inexperience in the early stages of a small chase by losing three top-order batters, India got to the target without more major hiccups. It was Rohit Sharma’s unbeaten 68 and decent knocks from Shekhar Dhawan and skipper himself that made sure India took a 1-0 lead.

India seem to have all the bases covered even with their bench strength. If anything India would like runs from their top order batsmen, who have failed to convert decent starts into substantial scores. What works in tourists’ favour is that the pitches in the Caribbean suit to India’s style of bowling. The world champions have three frontline spinners in the squad to go with plenty of part-time slow bowling options. From what we have seen from last two matches, India are a far better side and the home team will have find answers to get back to winnings ways.

In contrary, West Indies look a side that lacks stability, confidence and a kind of approach that needs to win a cricket game. Their woes against quality spin bowling seem to have no end. The lack of enterprise and skill is palpable when West Indies batsmen face spin. Even their better batsmen in Ramnaresh Sarwan and Marlon Samuels have forgotten to dominate bowlers which they once were so good at. What ails West Indian progress is the absence of star batsmen Chris Gayle and Shiv Chanderpaul due to their differences with the West Indies Cricket Board. No Gayle in the team takes that x-factor and muscle out of the batting effort. The off-field distractions like those haven’t helped the team’s cause either.

To their credit, bowlers have shown determination and feistiness to make life difficult for Indian batters. Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul is in a superb wicket taking form, leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo’s reputation is on a rise and skipper Darren Sammy puts everything he has got to bring best out of his limited talent. A good show from batsmen can make their bowling unit more effective but that seems highly unlikely way they have batted against India and Pakistan spinners recently.

Sammy’s call for the pitches favorable for the faster men looks like not be answered in the near future as they take on India on the same spin friendly venue of Trinidad on Wednesday. Going by the trend, another dismal show from the home team batsmen is on cards.

Sammy and his have a lot of questions to answer but his opposite number Raina will be more than charged up to take 2-0 lead. And, they look overwhelming favourites for the result.

West Indies Squad: Lendl Simmons, Kirk Edwards, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy (capt), Carlton Baugh (wk), Andre Russell, Anthony Martin, Devendra Bishoo, Ravi Rampaul.

Indian Squad: Suresh Raina (capt), R Ashwin, S Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh (vc), Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel, Parthiv Patel (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Manoj Tiwary, Shikhar Dhawan.