'Hoops, He Did it Again'

At this rate, it will soon be impossible to dismissively refer to Carl Hooper as Test cricket's ultimate underachiever. Not with day's like Thursday at Bourda, his home ground in more ways than one.

The classy right-hander's transformation -- from maddening enigma to exalted superstar -- appeared complete when he put the West Indies team on his broad shoulders and marched to an unbeaten 108 not out (226 balls, 14x4, 1x6) to rescue his side from another embarrassing start.

Coming off back-to-back tons -- 222 against the Leewards and a match-winning 149 not out against Jamaica in the Busta Cup-- Hooper aimed his hot bat in the direction of Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble, bowlers of decidedly superior pedigree.

By the close of play, Hooper had lifted his fragile team from the depths of 44 for three to 270 for four, completing his first Test century before an adoring hometown crowd accustomed to fretting and stewing through consistent inconsistencies.

In five Test matches at the GCC ground he learned his craft, Hooper's has a top score of 69. For a batsman that promised so much when he exploded onto the international stage, an average of 38.38 with six scores of less than 43 was just not enough.

It could have been worse, were it not for a costly miss by India's 'keeper Dasgupta who grassed a catch off the very first ball Hooper faced from Srinath. Had that catch been taken, the eyerolls and sighs would have been seen and heard around the Caribbean but it appears we are witnessing a different Hooper, a man entirely committed to restoring his credibility.

With countryman Ramnaresh Sarwan (53) -- who, incidentally, is beginning to tease and torment fans with unfinished cameo innings -- Hooper added 113 for the fourth wicket, the identical value of the unbroken fifth-wicket stand with the left-handed Shiv Chanderpaul (57 not out).

Sarwan, who has now scored 10 half-centuries without going on, and Chanderpaul also shared in Thursday's glory. Sarwan was virtually an opening batsman today, coming in at the fall of Chris Gayle's wicket in the second over, caught behind of Srinath. By the last ball of the sixth over, with the score on 37, Stuart Williams departed, trapped lbw to the rampaging Srinath and things looked depressingly familiar.

With Bourda buzzing, Brian Lara made his return to Test cricket but lasted only eleven balls before Aussie umpire Darrel Harper mistook his pad for his bat and gave him out caught behind for a duck. The ball was so far away from Lara's bat that even the Indian commentators were muttering in disbelief.

That was when Hooper made his entrance. He appeared uncomfortable even after Dasgupta's error but by lunch, he was changing gears. In the final over before the interval, Srinath (3-55 from 18 overs) dug one short and Hooper pivoted to hook. He didn't quite get a hold of it but the ball reached the backward square fence. The next ball, another short one, was arrogantly pulled to the midwicket boundary to bring up his 50 and set the ground abuzz.

After lunch, it was more of the same. His 14 boundaries were mixed with caressed pushes through extra cover, lofted drives on both sides of the wicket and deft pulls and cuts. In the 90s, with Kumble teasing him with wicket-to-wicket leg-spinners, Hooper seemed anxious. A few tentative sweeps brought gasps from the nervous crowd but things changed in a hurry when he chipped into one and effortlessly deposited it over the long-off fence. Vintage stuff.

Both Hooper and Chanderpaul appear well-entrenched and with Junior Murray on deck with lots to prove, Hooper would surely be having a pleasant night's rest.

But, we've been down this road before with this team. In 1999, Adrian Griffith and Sherwin Campbell put on a record-breaking 276 opening stand, batting throughout the first day against New Zealand. Three day's later, the West Indies were bowled out for 97, losing by nine wickets.

Late last year in Sri Lanka, West Indies closed day one at 316 for three. A few days later, Sri Lanka completed a 10-wicket win when the Caribbean side crumbled for 144 in the second innings.

Hooper was not there for the New Zealand massacre, having suddenly quit Brian Lara's team but he was at the helm in Sri Lanka at Galle last November when the first day batting blitz fizzled into another disappointing loss.

Hooper would want to coax everything out of his batting partners Friday, possibly batting past the Tea break and putting the pressure on the visitors.

With a Test average of 35.10 coming into this Test, Hooper has a lot of making up to do. On Thursday, he set about fixing things. We will see if it was worth anything.

First Day Scorecard

* Photo courtesy of BBC Sports.

ALSO READ:

* Sir Carl's Day (Wisden Online)

* Hooper's Puts Windies in Command (Tony Cozier)

* Hooper Happy With First Ton at Home (WindiesCricket.com)