India vs West Indies – The battle continues
India travel to Kensington Oval with the scoreline reading 1-0 but they would have to battle a fast, bouncy deck and history if they are to maintain their lead in the series. India have lost seven out of the eight tests they have played at this venue and have never won two tests in a series in the Caribbean. If the track at Kingston was turning square, it is going to be a completely different proposition at Kensington. The curator has already indicated that there is going to be a lot of bounce in the surface, something that the Indian batsmen wouldn’t be too pleased to hear. And with Tendulkar, Sehwag, Yuvraj and Zaheer all missing from the squad, West Indies should have been firm favourites for this game.
Also Read: YuppTV To Stream India-West Indies Cricket Series Online
However that isn’t the case! The hosts are having problems of their own with Gayle’s stand-off against the WICB continuing. Chanderpaul is the home team’s best batsman but at 37, he doesn’t look the kind of player that made the Indian fielders run for leather four years ago. Sarwan has struggled to get bat on ball while vice captain Nash has been omitted after repeated failures with the bat. There were glimpses of brilliance when Barath drove his way to a half century but to beat a World Champion team, you need more than just that. Darren Bravo needs to live up to his Brian Laraesque expectations and get some essential runs up the order while brother Dwayne continues to remain out of the squad.
West Indies had their moments in the first test before Raina and Harbhajan did the rescue act in the first innings. And when the Wall stood tall in the second innings, there was no way that they were going to chase 325 on the minefield at Kingston. Bishoo impressed on debut while Rampaul and Edwards did trouble the batsmen but they failed to sustain the pressure. Sammy would be tempted to get in Roach for the Barbados Test which would mean dropping either one of the quicks.
Dhoni also hinted that he might play three medium pacers which would mean dropping Amit Mishra who didn’t do too badly either. Abhimanyu Mithun is the likely replacement with Munaf still considered unfit to play. Kohli didn’t make too much of his opportunity and might find himself warming the benches giving Badrinath a chance to prove his mettle. Mukund may have done just enough to hang onto his place despite Parthiv Patel waiting on the flanks.
It is difficult to see how Sammy’s men can steal a result against the World Champions but knowing the Indian batsmen’s susceptibility to short pitch bowling, a bouncy track and the inclusion of Roach may be the ingredient required to knock them of their perch.
Probable Teams:
India: Abhinav Mukund, Murali Vijay, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman, Subramaniyam Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Mahender Singh Dhoni (Captain & Wicketkeeper), Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Abhimanyu Mithun, Praveen Kumar.
West Indies: Adrian Barath, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Carlton Baugh (Wicketkeeper), Darren Sammy (Captain), Kemar Roach, Devendra Bishoo, Fidel Edwards.
Tags: Barbados, Cricket, India, Test Cricket, Test Match, West Indies
