Windies begin first ever weekday Test in Jamaica today

Jun 20, 2011 Sports

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Depleted India still hold the edge

By Sean Devers in Jamaica
In association with Digicel, Queensway, Western Union & Jamaica Pegasus

Since their first Test against India in 1948, West Indies have won 30, lost 11 and drawn 41 of the matches and have lost just two of the nine Tests series between the two sides in the West Indies.
Today at Sabina Park in Jamaica they began the three-Test series with both teams fielding under strength teams and the host, with just two victories in their last 19 Tests, will want to rebound from the 3-2 loss in the ODI series in the first ‘weekday’ Test to be played in the Caribbean since the inaugural Test here in 1930.
After winning the first Test on a treacherous Providence pitch last month against Pakistan, West Indies crashed to defeat in the next game in St Kitts as they attempted to win back-to-back Tests against a team ranked higher than them for the first time since 1999 when they beat Australia.
The once almost invincible team of the late 1970s to early 1990s is now a shadow of the teams from those eras and with a Captain who would struggle to make the team if he was not the leader.
In 18 Tests series against West Indies, India have won just four with two of those series wins coming in 2003 (in India) and 2006 on their last Test tour to the West Indies. India have won just one and lost six of their Tests against West Indies in Jamaica.
India’s most memorable series win was their 1-nil victory in 1971 when Sunil Gavaskar (who scored 13 of his 34 tons against West Indies) began his illustrious career by amassing 774 runs at an average of 154.80 after missing the first Test.
In the second Test in Trinidad, off-spinner Jack Noregia took 9-95 as India, replying to West Indies’214, made 352 with Dilip Sardesai making 112 and debutant Gavaskar 65. West Indies scored 261 in their second innings with Roy Fredericks top scoring with 80 as Venkataraghavan bagged 5-95. Indian marched to their first Test win on West Indian soil by reaching 125-3 with Gavaskar unbeaten on 67.
These days a West Indies Test series generates little interest and India, the number one ranked team in the World, is here without most of their premier players.
Pacers Zaheer Khan has an ankle problem, while Sreesanth has a right elbow injury and both are undergoing rehabilitation. Medium-pacers Abhimanyu Mithun and Praveen Kumar, who played in the ODI series, are their replacements.
Shoulder injuries to Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir resulted in them being replaced by inexperienced openers M. Vijay and the uncapped Abhinav Mukund, while Sachin Tendulkar wanted to spend time with his family and opted out of the tour as he focuses on the more important England tour next month.
While the batting, also without Yuvraj Singh, was hit hard by these withdrawals, the bowling initially had a stronger look with Zaheer expected to lead a full-strength attack in the Caribbean. His and Sreesanth’s absence will now add further fuel to the debate on the impact of a cramped IPL schedule on the Indian team.
When the two sides last met in a Test series, India won the final Test to win the series 1-nil in 2006. Even without their premier players India are favoured to win this series.
West Indies have won just three Test series since they beat Sri Lanka in 2003. They beat England in 2009, but wins against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh have been their only other series victories in eight years.
Injury and controversial selection policies have robbed the West Indies of its best players and Sammy is yet to win a Test or ODI series as Captain.
Even at their best the Indians are uncomfortable against quality fast bowling and have lost 16 and won just four of the 42 Test matches they have played in the Caribbean and struggled against the short balls in Barbados in the t20 World Cup.
Such was the nature of the pitches and the hostility of the West Indian fast bowlers in the past that India were whitewashed 5-nil in the 1962 series and even lost their tour game to Barbados by 186 runs with three of their batsmen being forced to be absent, hurt in their second innings after being hit by the Barbados pacers.
Nari Contractor was struck on his temple by Charlie Griffith and was taken to Hospital with blood gushing from his nose and ears. That life threatening blow ended his career.
However, not only have the pitches in the West Indies, even in Jamaica and Barbados, gotten lower and slower, but they offered prodigious turn for the spinners in the series against Pakistan although Devendra Bishoo was the only spinner in the West Indies Test team. The Sabina Park track could offer some early bounce but should be good for batting.
The last time these teams clashed in Jamaica, Indian won the fourth Test by 43 runs in 2006 with Raul Dravid scoring 81 and 68 and Anil Kumble and Harbajan Singh taking five-wickets hauls for India. Jerome Taylor had nine wickets in the game and Cory Collymore 5-58 in the India second innings. Denesh Ramdin and Ramnaresh Sarwan got half-centuries as West Indies were bowled out for 219 chasing 270 for victory.
MS Dhoni will lead the young Indian side with VVS Laxman as his deputy, Rahul Dravid at 38, is the team’s most experienced player along with off-spinner Harbajan Singh.
Twenty-two year-old Virat Kohli and 21-year-old Mukund will hope to launch their Test careers in the same fashion Gavaskar did two decades ago.
Suresh Raina, who led the side in the ODI series, all-rounder Munaf Patel and leg-spinner Amit Mishra are also expected to play key roles for India.
Gayle’s West Indian career could be over while Taylor has been ignored leaving just three pacers (Roach, Edwards and Rampaul) in the squad along with Sammy and Bishoo the only spinner.
Shiv Chanderpaul has five tons and averages 71.86 from 18 matches against India and is three matches away from overtaking Courtney Walsh (130) as the most capped West Indian Test player and a lot depends on him if the host are the build big totals.
While Chanderpaul’s biggest worry could be his mental preparedness, Ramnaresh Sarwan, the team’s other experienced batsman, is in good form after scoring the most runs in the ODI series and along with Marlon Samuels, Vice-Captain Brendon Nash, openers Adrian Barath and Lendl Simmons and Keeper Carlton Baugh, the batting is not too bad on paper.
Because of the imbalance Sammy’s presence creates, only five batsmen can play if all three fast bowlers are picked to utilise the pitch. However, a fast bowler and a batsman are likely to be left out and Samuels and Edwards could be the unfortunate pair.
With the absence of the ‘big names’ including home boy Gayle and the great Tendulkar, Sabina Park could be empty for this Test and the result here could be crucial to the attendance level for the remaining matches, scheduled for Barbados and Dominica.

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