Stern Test Ahead for W.I Batsmen

The third day of the fourth test match at St. John's, Antigua was filled with so much drama that it will remain etched in the minds of anybody who was fortunate enough to follow the day's play.

India started the day at 462/6, in complete control. The declaration was expected as soon as Ratra, who was on 93, got to his century. The West Indies opened with Dillon and Cuffy, and both bowled with greater purpose and control than they did in the last two sessions of the previous day. Laxman, on 124 overnight, hit one pull off the front foot to Dillon that fairly raced to the midwicket boundary. Soon after, he stepped back into his crease to play a short delivery from Dillon and trod on to his stumps.

His innings of 130 played a very major part in taking India from a total in the vicinity of 300 to their present total of over 500. Laxman has just three test centuries, but true to his initials, they have all been Very Very Special.

Ratra suffered a fairly sharp blow to his finger from Cuffy, but that did not stop him from getting to his century. A very well deserved effort that will no doubt help him, and the Indian team management, breathe easier for the rest of the series.

In the meantime, Cuffy got Zaheer Khan caught behind, and had Srinath caught at cover by a diving Lara. It was only just reward for the control, accuracy and persistence that Cameron Cuffy showed all through the Indian innings. He finished with three for 87, the best bowling figures for the West Indies. Dillon and Collins also finished with three wickets each as the Indian team, after batting rather slowly this morning, declared about forty minutes before lunch.

Adam Sanford was the disappointment in the West Indian attack, and whether he should play in Jamaica, or if he should have to make way for someone else should be a matter occupying the minds of the West Indian selectors after this match. It would not set a good precedent to have someone as inexperienced as Sanford think that he has an assured place in the team. As the case of Zaheer Khan and Nehra for India has showed, competition invariably does bring out the best in players.

This match, meanwhile, is anything but over.

Even as the West Indian bowlers seemed to be rather casual as they bowled to Laxman and Ratra in their marathon partnership, it was obvious that all these runs that were being added to the Indian total would serve to put immense pressure on the West Indian batsmen when it was their turn to bat.

If it was only helpful pitches that helped bowlers dictate terms, then most matches played around the world would end in draws. The other element that makes batting difficult is pressure. The most obvious way to apply pressure is by making a team bat in the face of a large total. How many of the victories achieved by Clive Lloyd's set of maestros, or the current Australian team could be attributed to the large totals put up by their respective imposing batting lineups?

As Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds made their way out to bat, it was obvious that this was not going to be a stroll in the park. India had enough runs behind them to set attacking fields practically till the West Indies got to 314, their target to avoid the follow-on. All the bowlers had to do was bowl to their field and hope that the batsmen made a mistake.

To be fair to Hinds and Gayle, though, they did not make that mistake. To his first few deliveries, Hinds did not quite get his feet moving. After he middled a few deliveries, though, he started looking increasingly fluent. At the other end, Gayle showed very good judgement in leaving the deliveries outside the offstump, and got completely forward when the delivery was not short. Both batsmen looked fairly comfortable, and each had their share of shots that rocketed to the boundary. The understanding between the two was evident as they ran sharp singles with relative ease.

Wavell Hinds is a very positive batsman. He does try to attack the ball whenever it is there to be hit, which may not always be an ideal approach for an batsman opening the innings. But there was little in this pitch, or this bowling attack, to make him stop and think. He played the deliveries off his legs with all the flair typically associated with cricketers from the Caribbean and certainly did enough to vindicate the faith shown in him by the selectors.

Gayle was the first to be dismissed, to an excellent delivery from Zaheer Khan that bounced much more than expected. Like the other left arm seamer in the Indian team, Zaheer steamed in and gave his bowling everything he had, and the wicket was just reward for a very good delivery. After doing all the hard work of settling in, and after playing some outstanding drives, Gayle was caught behind. Gayle does have a tendency to get set and then give his wicket away, but he cannot be faulted on this occasion. The opening stand was worth more than anything put together by Gayle and Williams, so the West Indian selectors should consider persisting with this combination for the short-term, even though Wavell Hinds may not be a natural opener.

Sarwan came in to replace Gayle, and looked every inch a world-class Number Three. Immaculate footwork and excellent judgement marked his batting till the end of the day's play. Sarwan is thought of as not having batted to potential so far in his test career, but his average is already over 40. This is ample testimony to his quality and to the expectation he has raised in those following West Indian cricket.

As Hinds and Sarwan set out to try and get the West Indian innings going, Tendulkar was introduced into the attack to bowl legspin. The run of play till this point had gone completely the way of the batsmen. As Tendulkar turned one delivery right across the face of the bat, it was evident that the West Indies had a match on their hands here. Wavell Hinds had trouble reading which way Tendulkar was turning the ball, and tried to play him off the pitch, never a good tactic against spin. Sarwan at the other end, looked better, though he did not read the first wrong one that was bowled at him either. What was evident was the fact that the introduction of spin certainly had the effect of making the batsmen think.

Hinds got to his fifty with a boundary, and must feel extremely relieved that he came good. He played as an opener against South Africa and failed most of the time. It would be poetic justice if he succeeded as an opener this time and then won back a place in the middle order. Hinds moved on to 65 when he did not move his feet to a googly from Tendulkar that pitched just behind his pads and bowled him around his legs. He must be disappointed in getting out in this fashion, but lack of foot movement is definitely one of the negatives in his batting. If he is to succeed against good bowling, both pace as well as spin, this is something that would need to be rectified. This apart, Hinds took this opportunity to show that he has the timing, the flair and the attitude to be a successful batsman for the West Indies. Besides, with his fielding, he is worth about fifteen to twenty runs even before he takes guard at the crease, as are Sarwan and Chanderpaul.

With Lara's advent to the crease came the event that would make this day of cricket remain in the minds of cricket viewers for years to come. Anil Kumble, who had suffered a nasty blow to the jaw from Dillon, and who was expected to miss the entire tour, took the field with his jaw strapped up. The word from the Indian physiotherapist is that Kumble has a deep crack to his jaw, not just a hairline fracture. Apparently, Kumble spent the entire night in intense pain, and for him to come out to bowl in the interest of his team is nothing short of heroic.

It was obvious that Kumble's entry had a psychological effect on the West Indian team. Lara played and missed at the first delivery he faced from Kumble, and the game was well and truly on. If this pitch looked a sleeping beauty when the seamers were bowling, it looked a fairly helpful pitch, if not more than that, when first Tendulkar, and then Kumble, had the ball in their hands.

With fieldsmen clustered around the bat, and with the batsmen defending dourly, this seemed more like a game at Calcutta or Bombay than a match at the ARG. Lara never did look very comfortable against Kumble. It usually is not a good idea to play Kumble much off the backfoot, since his pace off the pitch and the amount of bite he gets are deceptive. Lara, however, persisted in playing him off the backfoot. It was a matter of time before Kumble bowled a delivery that pitched and hurried on even as it turned slightly. Lara played it from the crease, and across the line as well. Sure enough, it took him on his pad and David Shepherd raised his finger to a very confident appeal. Lara was plumb in front and with the West Indies around two hundred runs from their follow-on target, the game was wide open.

Hooper joined Lara at the crease, and had his share of anxious moments against Kumble. The Indian captain, Ganguly, who took off Tendulkar immediately after he took the wicket of Hinds, surprisingly persisted with seam at one end. Nehra and Zaheer did run in with purpose and aggression, but it was obvious that spin was going to be the problem for the West Indies here.

Sarwan displayed the immaculate technique and shot selection that we have come to expect of him, but he also showed the reason why he has lost his wicket after getting a start time and again. With his score on 26, he reached for a few deliveries and essayed expansive drives. These were completely non-percentage shots, and though he got four runs to point with one shot, it was practically a replay of the shot to which he has lost his wicket atleast on two occasions in this series alone.

Hooper was struck on the pad coming forward to Kumble, and was extremely lucky to be given not out. The fact that he was pushing far forward may have been a factor that swayed the decision in his favour. Nine times out of ten, though, he would have been given out to that appeal. Kumble also had Hooper caught at forward short-leg off a no-ball. In addition to these, Hooper was also dropped off a sharp chance by Dravid at slip when a ball from Kumble reared off the pitch. It must seem to Hooper that destiny is on his side in this game, if not in this series.

It was only after Hooper opened out and hit a few shots off Kumble, and then Tendulkar that the pressure began to ease, and the game again looked like it was being played on a batsman's track at the Antigua Recreation Ground. By close, Sarwan had reached his fifty, and Hooper was on 26, with the West Indies on 187/3.

The Indians have set this game up very nicely, and if a wicket or two goes down early tomorrow, India will fancy their chances of taking a lead in this series once again. The Indian approach to this innings, where every batsman down to the number eleven valued his wicket and scored runs has been perfect. Without such a large total, neither attack would be able to get twenty wickets on this pitch. But with the cushion of a very large total behind them, the Indian spinners are going to be a handful.

Another 127 runs need to be scored to avoid the follow-on. It is fair to say that this game will meander towards a draw if the West Indies do make India bat again. However, before that happens, the West Indies will have to score those runs under intense pressure. Whether or not Kumble is fit to take the field tomorrow, one can be sure that the Indian captain will have fielders around the bat till West Indies reaches that target.

The Indians have won many games from this position, just as the West Indies have lost several games when their batting has crumbled under pressure, so it will take good batting from the West Indies to save this game. The captain himself has the opportunity to show the way for his team, just as the team's most promising batsmen has an opportunity to score his maiden test century just when it is most needed. So this will not only be a test of playing spin bowling with fielders close to the bat, it will be a test of character for the West Indian batting line up.

* Venky Maly is a special correspondent for CaribbeanCricket.com. His daily match reports and analysis will be appearing throughout the remainder of the series.