Tony Becca
TO CAPTAINS Brian Lara and Rahul Dravid, the first Test match between West Indies and India in the current series was a great Test match - one in which West Indies were in front for the first two days and in which, according to Lara, the West Indians showed a lot of character in hanging on for a draw.
It was also one in which India were behind for the first two days and in which, according to Dravid, the Indians showed a lot of character in coming back and, with one wicket to get and 3.1 overs in which to get it, almost winning it.
To Lara and Dravid, however, the second Test, which also ended in a draw, was not a great Test match.
DISAPPOINTMENT TO BOTH
With India in front from day one and West Indies, after following on and after rain had washed out one entire day's play, again hanging on for a draw, it was a disappointment to both men - to Lara, whose team, but for the rain and his own performance, would almost certainly have lost; to Dravid, whose bowlers again failed to wrap up after finding themselves in a good position to do so.
As great as the first Test match was, however, as satisfying as it was to see West Indies standing up and drawing both matches, as good as it was to see India recovering to the extent that they almost won the first Test, and as dominant as they were throughout the second Test, both captains must be disappointed - one, that after looking so good after the first two days in the series his team had to fight on both occasions to save their skins; the other, that after getting so close his team had to settle for a draw on both occasions.
CHANGE IN LINE-UP
With the third Test match starting in St. Kitts today, both teams, therefore, will be looking at where they went wrong - and especially as far as India are concerned, they must be looking at at least one change in their
line-up.
While West Indies, based on the squad selected for the match, hardly have a choice but to go in with the same XI, India must be and should be looking at their bowling and pondering the inclusion of offspinner Harbhajan Singh.
No one will ever know what would have happened, but chances are, had Harbhajan been around to partner Anil Kumble in both matches, India would now be boasting a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.
TOO MUCH
Based on the bowling of part-time offspinner Virender Sehwag, India, with Harbhajan from one end and Kumble from the other, would have been too much for the batsmen of the West Indies.
The absence of Harbhajan in both matches was strange - and it was strange coming from a country whose strength historically has been spin bowling, a country who, in the past, has played as many as four specialist spin bowlers and one pacer in many Test matches, and a country who came to the West Indies 35 years ago and, with Abid Ali as the one specialist pacer and all-rounder Eknath Solkar as the second pacer, defeated the home team with spin bowlers Erapally Prasanna, Bishen Bedi and Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan plus all-rounder Salim Durani.
BEST CHANCE TO WIN
Things have not changed. India's best chance to defeat West Indies lies with their spin bowlers.
It would be surprising, therefore - and very surprising at that, if India enter today's Test match with three pacers and one spinner instead of two pacers and two spinners with Sehwag in assistance.
Who will win the match? Without Harbahjan, and against a West Indies attack that is short of a spin bowler and is loaded with five ordinary pace bowlers, the odds are still in India's favour. With both Kumble and Harbhajan, however, the odds, despite the presence of Lara and Chanderpaul, are heavily in India's favour.
