Given the background of India’s awesome record at home – they
have lost only one series in the last 15 years
Partab Ramchand18-Jul-2005Given the background of India’s awesome record at home – they
have lost only one series in the last 15 years – it would be
tempting to shrug off the challenge posed by the West Indies team
which commences battle in a three-Test series from Wednesday. But
the Indians would do well to guard against complacency. In the
past, an overconfident approach has proved costly and one has
only to look back at the previous tour by the Caribbean side
eight years ago to understand how rash it would be to under-rate
any team.The West Indies had virtually lost their No 1 ranking and the
slide was apparent. By the early 90s, the vast majority of the
stars of the all-conquering team of the 80s had retired. To
compound matters, they were, for various reasons, without several
leading players including reigning captain Richie Richardson,
fast bowlers Curtly Ambrose and Winston Benjamin and veteran
opener Desmond Haynes.
| © CricInfo |
The side, led by Courtney Walsh, had only one really big name in
Brian Lara, who in the first half of 1994 had set the two famous
world-record scores of 375 and 501 not out. The captain, of
course, was one of the top fast bowlers in the world while Carl
Hooper, Phil Simmons and Keith Arthurton were cricketers with
some experience. But little was known about the other players in
the side and the chances of the tourists doing well were not
rated highly. On the other hand much was made of the fact that at
home India had registered nine successive victories in the period
1988-1994. The stage thus seemed set for India to register a
comfortable win in the three-Test series.Things seemed to move according to prediction when India won the
first Test by 96 runs to make it ten in a row at home. But the
winning streak was halted in the next Test in which West Indies
earned a honourable draw. And in the final Test, West Indies
scored a surprise 243-run victory to level the series against all
expectations. An obdurate left-hander named Jimmy Adams amassed
520 runs at a Bradmanesque average of 173.33.More recently too, the mood was fairly complacent on the eve of
the Test series against a seemingly weak England side about a
year ago. Ultimately, India had to huff and puff their way to
victory in one Test while the two other games were drawn with the
visitors emerging with much credit.It can be debated whether the current West Indian team or the
1978-79 side led by Alvin Kallicharran is the weakest to tour
India. The batting looks capable of holding its own and evidence
of this was clearly seen in the tour opener at Bangalore. There
has to be question marks over the bowling though and it is
doubtful whether it has the ammunition to bowl out the fearsome
Indian batting line-up twice.The absence of Lara is a major blow and the West Indian record
away from home is admittedly abysmal. That said, it must also be
stated that they put up a heart-warming show in winning the
series against India in the Caribbean earlier this year. It must
not be forgotten that India were the favourites to take the
series but Hooper’s young and inexperienced side rose to the
occasion and with a commendable performance, recovered to win the
series.Granted it was achieved at home where West Indies have almost
always been unbeatable, but there was something positive about
their showing and while it is too early to speak in terms of a
resurgence, they are not a side to be dismissed lightly. Indeed,
it is difficult not to agree with Walsh’s prediction that one
could see a star or two being born during the tour. As they
showed in Bangalore, the tourists mean business and are a pretty
eager lot. And as the saying goes, enthusiasm is the mother of
success.Of course, it will take a bit effort to emerge successful in both
the Tests and one-day internationals against an Indian side that
at the moment is bristling with confidence. They are on a high
after a string of notable performances, they are playing at home
where they enjoy an enviable record and the team for the first
two Tests has an unbeatable look about it. But that’s just the
kind of scenario in which sometimes the favourites can lower
their guard and pay the price.Under Sourav Ganguly, the Indians have developed a ruthless
streak and they should maintain this approach. On paper, there is
no reason why the Indians should not end up comfortable winners.
Man to man, they appear much stronger. But then the Indians
looked pretty formidable on the two occasions I have talked about
and the result is well known. On the face of things, this would
seem to be a gilt-edged opportunity for the hosts to make a clean
sweep of the Test series, along the lines of the victories
achieved against England in 1993 and Sri Lanka the following
season, provided complacency does not enter the Indians’ mind
set.
| © CricInfo |
The selection of the Indian team for the first two Tests has been
made on expected lines, though, I am not really comfortable about
Javagal Srinath’s decision to come out of retirement and his
subsequent recall. The selection of Amit Mishra is a step in the
right direction, notwithstanding his figures of no wicket for 114
at Bangalore. A young leg-spinner is a must what with Anil Kumble
in rather indifferent form. But then Kumble’s record at home is
well known and against West Indies, it is likely that he and
Harbhajan would be the strike force rather than Srinath and
Zaheer Khan.
