Match On! Stage Set for Lara/Hooper Magic

West Indian fans won't want it any other way. The target is 182 with eight wickets in hand. Time is abundant and Brian Lara and Carl Hooper are at the wicket. It doesn't get more dramatic than this.

Queens Park Oval belonged to the Caribbean side on Monday. Coming into the fourth day's play with India holding a tight grip on the match, the bowlers turned on the pressure and the batsmen mirrored the effort later in the day as West Indies finished on 131-2, chasing 313 for victory.

Many would be recalling that afternoon of March 30, 1999 when Lara single-handedly beat the rampaging Australians at Bridgetown, Barbados to revive his team's sagging fortunes and cement his place among the game's all time greats.

The venue may be different but the unfolding drama closely resembles the Kensington Oval miracle which ended with Lara smacking Jason Gillespie to the cover boundary to lead the West Indies to a nail biting one-wicket win. If Lara can come close to that dominating 153, his adoring hometown fans will be chanting his name well into Tuesday evening.

The left-handed Lara has never scored a century at home. Is there a better time to fix that anomaly?

At the wicket with him is Carl Hooper, the skipper who is enjoying a career resurrection for the ages. In his last four innings, Hooper has reeled off three centuries (two of them doubles) and a responsible 50 but none of those is as important as this one.

In 13 Tests as captain, Hooper has scored more than 1,100 runs. His average of 52.38 is a full 16 points over his career numbers but, despite those heady statistics, Hooper has presided over tough series losses, both at home and abroad.

You can't tell much by Hooper's visage. He is a private man, even mysterious. But, lately, there has been a marked change in his personality. At Bourda, he reacted to scoring his first Test century at home with arms raised triumphantly and a broad, unrecognisable grin on his face. The joy was genuine.

In media interviews, he has put on a bold facade, declaring defiantly that his team could compete with anyone in the world. He has also been honest when discussing the team's weakest link -- the bowling -- criticising them for not having the killer instinct West Indian fast bowlers are notorious for.

For the first half of day four, Hooper must have been relieved at the efforts of the hard-working pair of Cameron Cuffy and Merv Dillon. India was resuming on 165 for four, a second innings lead of 259 with Sourav Ganguly (48) and VVS Laxman (60) well entrenched.

It looked to be another run-feast as the West Indies went through the motions. Then came the new ball and with it, a renewal of spirit and energy. Laxman reached 74 before going back to cut one from Dillon, got a bottom edge that disturbed his stumps (206 for five), and the floodgates opened.

Cuffy, the best bowler on show in both Tests, got one to cut into Ajay Ratra, pushing half forward to be LBW (210 for six). The very next ball, to Harbhajan Singh, kissed the edge and Gayle held a low catch at first slip. Javagal Srinath denied Cuffy the hat-trick but Dillon got into the act a moment later.

He dug it in short and Srinath went into self-preservation mode, only to fend it to where gully would have been. Stuart Williams, one of the better slip fielders in the region, left his feet at third slip to take a magnificent two-handed catch low to his right. India wilted under the renewed pressure, with a start/stop/start/stop mix-up taking care of Zaheer Khan, run out for four on the stroke of lunch.

Immediately after, Dillon castled number 11 Ashish Nehra to end India's innings at 218, well below what Ganguly, unbeaten on 75, would have been hoping for.

The victory chase ran into an immediate hiccup when Stuart Williams tentatively pushed at a Srinath outswinger straight to Rahul Dravid at first slip. It was another disappointment for the gifted Williams who is finding it impossible to transfer his rich Busta Cup form.

Chris Gayle batted with uncharacteristic caution with Ramnaresh Sarwan to set the foundation before opening up later. A full-blooded drive off Nehra to the mid-off fence by Gayle was matched by an exquisite Sarwan square cut past point off Harbhajan.

The both appeared untroubled until cramps forced Gayle to retired hurt, setting the stage for Lara's entry. Immediately, the master got into stride, pushing Srinath straight for three and then leaned back to hit a short one from Srinath to the backward point fence.

Sarwan switched gears too. One straight drive off Zaheer Khan was pure Tendulkar. A classic cover drive for four off Srinath had Boycott fumbling for superlatives in the commentary booth as the West Indies raced along.

Sarwan, who is yet to convert 10 half-centuries into a triple figure score, is shaping up to be an enigma. His technique and footwork are superior to many in the game today. But, he is prone to maddening lapses that need urgent attention.

In Guyana, he was on 53 when he slogged one high into the air. In the first innings here, he was easing along at 35 when he slashed at a wide one and gave catching practice to the slip fielder. At one stage, Lara had to walk down the pitch to talk some sense into Sarwan after he flashed and missed a wide one from Srinath. Lara's arm around his shoulder was a telling sight.

Sarwan, again, failed to make good on the start but, this time, he was outsmarted by one from Harbhajan that went the other way. Playing for an off-break, Sarwan got an edge and Dravid did the rest at slip. The Lara/Sarwan partnership was worth 98 of the most important runs.

Hooper came out for a few testing overs before bad light had the final say. But, by that time, the match was on! Here we go...

CRICBLOG

Match Poised on Razor's Edge


"For the locals that will throng to the ground however, the fairytale can have only one ending. Their Prince ? Brian Charles Lara, must make a ton and inspire a famous West Indian triumph. How then will this tale end? Check in again tomorrow, for it really is too close to call at this point."

Lara Leads Windies Charge


"Earlier, the West Indies grabbed six wickets for 13 runs as India's second innings ended on 218 despite a fighting 75 not out by captain Saurav Ganguly."

Windies Fate in Lara's Hands


"The frustration in the Indian camp was palpable, with Ganguly ringing in the bowling changes. Sachin Tendulkar came in for an over, but Lara won that mini-battle with a fine sweep that raced to long leg and brought down the target to under 200."